Erica Carrasco

1 min read

Patient Leader Erica Carrasco Erica was a member of our Patient Leadership Council in 2023 and submitted content for us throughout the year.

Erica Carrasco, aka Achy Smile, lives with hemiplegic migraine, a subtype of migraine with aura that mimics stroke and epilepsy. She also lives with migrainous corpalgia affecting the left side of her body, fibromyalgia, PCOS, degenerative disc disease, osteopenia, a symptomatic fatty liver, and underwent a full hysterectomy and oophorectomy under 40 years old due to adenomyosis.

Born and raised in Midland, TX, she now lives in Garland with her husband Stephen and their son Noah, a sophomore in college. Their daughter, Marissa, is a senior in college and set to graduate in the spring of 2023. Both of her children also live with migraine. Erica is a Headache on the Hill member, where she tells her story to members of Congress about what it's like living with hemiplegic migraine and presents requests or “asks” to lawmakers.

She is the 2022 winner of the Creative Contributor category of the Health Union Social Health Awards for her creative advocacy at Achy Smile Shop. Erica is a partner of the American Migraine Foundation and the Association of Migraine Disorders, she is a board member for Chronic Migraine Awareness, Inc., and collaborates with other advocates, brands, and non-profits to further the message that migraine is not just head pain. Head pain is only one possible symptom of migraine, an often-disabling neurological disorder that can affect several systems within the body.

Click here to read all of Erica's articles on SocialHealthNetwork.com.