The first Facing My Pain Live Interview, hosted by journalist Hanna Ghabhain, featured professional ATV racer and trigeminal neuralgia patient Marcia Garcia. The special Zoom event was part of the Facial Pain Research Foundation’s article series Facing My Pain, written by Ghabhain for the past seven years. Each article shares the story of a person diagnosed with TN or one of their family members. The live interview brought the article series to life as Ghabhain interviewed Garcia live and discussed mental health topics, followed by a Q&A with attendees who included medical professionals, mental health therapists, and TN patients and their family members.
Garcia shared her experience of being diagnosed with TN and what treatments she has received thus far. She discussed her mental health journey and why she is passionate about helping people with TN invest in their mental and emotional well-being. Insights for medical and mental health clinicians were shared, including discussing how mental health should be built into TN treatment plans.
Garcia is a professional ATV racer in Phoenix, Arizona, who began experiencing symptoms of TN in 2015 before being diagnosed in 2020. She is the founder of TN Warrior Racing Inc., a motivational speaker, and advocate for people with TN, focusing her efforts on improving mental health care awareness in her community.
Ghabhain is an award-winning journalist who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is a Master of Counseling candidate at Arizona State University. She is a 2024 Desert Nights, Rising Stars Community Writer and family member of a person with TN.
Read Marsha Garcia’s original Facing My Pain article here:
https://facingfacialpain.org/facing-my-pain-marsha-garcia/
Watch a video recording of the live interview below:
Connect with Garcia on social media and on her website:
Website: https://www.tnwarriorracing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TNWarriorracing?mibextid=LQQJ4d
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marshagarcia18?_t=8mZl1jP7rn1&_r=1