Akii Ngo spoke with Naomi Chainey and Marijo Požega about Chronic Pain Australia, the many systemic barriers faced by people living with chronic pain, their own lived experience, COVID-19 and the Royal Comission into Disability.  Akii also discussed mental health and the way it is connected with chronic pain/illness, as well as how gender, culture and sexuality intersect with disability.

Akii recently joined Chronic Pain Australia as executive director. They are a public health nutritionist and health promotion practitioner with 10 years’ experience in advocacy, health policy, and systemic health promotion practice. Akii is also a board director and treasurer of Disability Justice Australia. Akii is deeply passionate about representation and is a fierce advocate for people with chronic pain, chronic illness, and disabilities due to their own lifetime of lived experiences. Akii lives with h-Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Spinal Stenosis, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel, RSI, Neuropathy, Osteoarthritis, Migraines, Interstitial Cystitis, Vulvodynia & Hypersomnia. Akii also deals with gastrointestinal pain related to being born with necrotising enterocolitis and thoracic pain due to a thymectomy.

You can watch the Disability Royal Commission hearings debrief that Akii participated in with Senator Jordan Steele-John and Nicole Lee here: https://www.facebook.com/JordonSteeleJohn/videos/365755658155003/?extid=kyytoCNYgt4awvtX

Find out more about Chronic Pain Australia at: http://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/index.php 

And on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ChronicPainAustralia

See their recent 'Faces of Pain' videos and resources for National Pain Week at: http://www.nationalpainweek.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=edit&id=374 

You can find Akii on Instagram at: adventuress.akii or on Twitter at: @Akii_Ngo