If you head to the National Mall in D.C. this week you will see 30,000 small flags planted on the lawn in front of the U.S. Capital. There’s a mix of American and purple flags to represent the millions who suffer from migraines and other headache disorders.
Each of the flags represents 1,500 people, according to Julienne Verdi with the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy or AHDA. The instillation is called “Headache on the Hill” and coincides with Migraine and Headache Awareness Month.
“We’re here to raise awareness and demand action,” Verdi told WTOP. “Demand more for all of these patients who are suffering in silence. There’s not enough research funding, there’s not enough specialists, there’s not enough treatment options.”
In additional to the purple flags, hundreds of American flags can also be seen. They represent the nation’s veterans and their struggles with headache disorders.
“Unfortunately, it’s incredibly prevalent within the veterans’ community,” Verdi said. “One stat is 92% of military personnel who experience a mild traumatic brain injury go on to have migraine and headache disorders.”
The Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy is also pushing for Congress to pass the HEADACHE Act, which would develop a strategy to deal with the rise in diagnoses of headache disorders, including more research funding.
“Currently, headache disorders receive less than 0.2% of the NIH budget, so increasing that increases our ability to get to new treatments and be able to care for our patients,” said Dr. Barbara Nye, a headache specialist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Nye said the medical community needs to pay more attention to the 40 million Americans who have headache disorders.
“There’s a great need in the community to have providers that both recognize, engage and are able to promote their good treatment for their patients,” Nye said. “Unfortunately, the pipeline through medical school doesn’t include a lot of headache education.”
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They also hope the installation will dispel the stigma surrounding migraines and headache disorders.
“It is so much more than just a headache,” Verdi shared with WTOP. “I get visual disturbances when I experience a migraine attack. I also get something called aphasia, where I temporarily lose my words.”
Nye said many of the disorders come with other serious symptoms, such as vertigo, loss of balance, drooping in their face and sensitivity to light and scents as well as myriad neurological symptoms.
Billy Dwyer, a congressional staffer, also spoke at the installation on how migraines brought tragedy to his family.
“When I was 17 years old, my sister Melissa died by suicide. She had struggled with chronic migraine and a number of other health complications related to her condition,” Dwyer said speaking about migraines. “It’s really a lonely, disabling experience.”