Claudia A. Merandi
Claudia A. Merandi, 52, is the founder of the national Don't Punish Pain Rally Organization.
Mom to both Francesca and Ava, Claudia is the former owner of Merandi Court Reporting.
She's a retired court reporter and self-published author, from East Providence, Rhode Island.
As a person living with severe Crohn's Disease since a child, she witnessed first-hand the challenges a person with pain encounters when trying to obtain adequate pain management.
In 2017 Claudia created the Don't Punish Pain Rally Organization focusing on organizing protests/rallies throughout the country for people with pain who could no longer access pain management due to the horrific 2016 CDC opioid prescribing guidelines. She started with five members. Today, there are over 20,000 members across the country. There are also DPPR chapters in Canada, Australia, and the UK.
Claudia remains vigilant in bringing awareness to the anti-opioid crusaders who are profiting off the overdosing epidemic. Organizations such as OHSU/Dr. Roger Chou, PROP/PharmedOut/FedUp/Shatterproof are profiting off people who have lost loved ones to an overdose, while vilifying those who are dependent on opioid analgesics. These anti-opioid crusaders have fueled the illicit fentanyl/heroin overdosing epidemic by misleading government officials with false data and opinions, while making millions of dollars off the backs of both the addictions and the pain community.
Today, Claudia works with pain patients as well as their providers, who have been targeted unfairly by government agencies and state medical boards. "When taken as prescribed and stored correctly, opioids remain safe and effective to treat both chronic and acute pain. You don't become addicted, purely on being exposed to a molecule. We must stop this false narrative pushed by media."
Claudia collaborates with both the cannabis and Kratom communities.
She can be reached using the Contact page.
Books published by Claudia Merandi
Dotty on the Potty by Claudia Merandi
Crohn's: The Other 'C' Word: Crohn's Disease, Court Reporting, and Custody Battles (E-Book)