About Us

Take a Pain Check was launched as a podcast in March 2021. Soon after, Natasha Trehan built a community and Take a Pain Check became Take a Pain Check Foundation in October 2021. Take a Pain Check Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to the mission and vision of supporting youth and young adults with rheumatic diseases through social media, initiatives, advocacy, and raising awareness. Natasha hosts podcasts every other Sunday with guests engaging them in conversations about their chronic illness, their relationships, accomplishments, lifestyle, and much more. Guest speakers range from those living with rheumatic diseases, parents, friends, researchers, health professionals, and individuals who are making a difference in the rheumatic community. Take a Pain Check is currently changing the lives of individuals impacted with rheumatic diseases by creating a safe community. The goal is to empower youth to advocate for themselves, and to create a place where they feel understood.

Our Mission: Take a Pain Check’s aims to empower youth and young adults impacted by rheumatic disease to advocate for themselves and to create a supportive, safe, and inclusive community where individuals feel understood.

Our Vision: Through this youth led initiative our vision is that all youth and young adults feel supported in their journey with rheumatic illness.

Natasha's Story

Natasha Trehan is a university student in the Biomedical Sciences Program in the French Immersion Stream at the University of Ottawa. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at the age of 13. As a teenager, she felt alone and was unable to find the instant resources to connect with other people with similar lived experiences. After joining a support group 2 years into her journey and tons of discussion with other youth as well as the similarities of topics that were never shed light on, The Take a Pain Check Podcast was founded in March 2021 to ensure that young patients feel supported in every step of the way.

Throughout her journey, she has developed a lot of resilience and also learned to advocate for not only for herself but others. She has learned that research, innovation, support and connection is vital.

During the pandemic, she decided to dedicate her summer to get involved with research so she could truly learn about my own invisible disability and help others. She is involved in multiple research studies and projects to help researchers across Canada with their work. Currently, she is in the COVID-END team with the McMaster University Health Forum and a Co-investigator for Youth engagement at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research. She is also a trained patient researcher through the PaCER Training Program through the University of Calgary Continuing Education. With being a patient and obtaining research experience, her aim is to create a platform for youth living with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, to raise awareness about support groups, and make a meaningful impact on the community. She aspires to pursue a career in the healthcare field. She started this organization to make sure that no one else with an autoimmune condition has to go through this tough journey alone. She is super excited to continue on this journey with her amazing team and medical advisory board!