Beth Dost, RN, the first nurse to stand for the “Humanitarian use of Marijuana” in Massachusetts, has heard it all. While she humbly acknowledges it’s nice to hear; privately, she often breaks down under the weight of chronic pain. Beth grimaces when she takes a step or tries to stand up, or worse, get up in the morning.

#Looks are deceiving and looking good when feeling so poorly is a devastating reminder that nothing is as it seems and the face of pain can be hidden behind decent genes, lipstick and a good concealer.

In this Podcast John Malanca, a trusted source of wellness and cannabis information, encourages Beth to step up and reveal what it’s like to have a disease described as “devastating” or “life changing”. She complies and discusses how, when, and what happened, recalls when her life changed forever, how pain is stigmatized, and coming to terms with the reality of suffering as a lifestyle.

Few know Beth and 17 million Americans, suffer high impact chronic pain, and are now fighting for their lives against a government who doesn’t care and peers who will never understand. This attack on a vulnerable population makes it difficult to get prescriptions filled, doctors to believe her, and every day pretending she’s fine; because we live in a society which values health, wellness and youth. Yes…Pain is viewed as weakness. It’s no wonder that Beth has kept silent—until now.