Christine Ross

Sensei Christine is a black belt in karate, but she can’t kick her migraines and cluster headaches. Her excruciating pain recently forced her to stop practicing and teaching karate lessons.

But she wouldn’t let her pain knock her out completely. Instead, she was inspired to help researchers understand the pain and find a cure. So she hosted Kicks for a Cure to raise money for migraine research.

Ross and 10 young karate students recently raised more than $1,700 for the Migraine Research Foundation during the first-ever Kicks for a Cure fundraiser at their dojo, International Karate Academy.

“I’m so grateful for everyone’s support,” said Ross, who learned during the fundraiser that 12-year-old twins have been migraine sufferers since they were 6 years old. James is a yellow belt in karate and has episodic migraines while his sister Paige is a chronic sufferer, with 3 or 4 migraines a week. “These two kids don’t know what it’s like to live without pain. Thank goodness the Migraine Research Foundation is working to change that.”

One of Ross’s karate students, Giselle Obergfell, a 12-year-old black belt, spoke about migraine and cluster headaches at an assembly at her school, helping Ross spread the word further than she could have imagined.

“I’m so proud of these kids, their compassion and commitment to educating others about the painful reality of migraine,” Ross said.

Anyone can use their talents to raise money for migraine research. Join Christine and launch your fundraiser now!