The last week of July marks National Pain Week - a week to champion the needs of the many Australians living with some form of chronic pain and the perfect time to tell Mrs Crane’s story.

She suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) following an innocuous incident involving a door frame in 2004.

Two years later she was in an horrific car accident that left her in a wheelchair for five years and despite all efforts her pain worsened.

"The doctor couldn't tell me what was wrong or why I was in so much pain. I was dealing with that for two years before the car accident," she said. 

"After the accident no-one could work out why my pain was so bad, to the point where I wanted to take my own life. 

"I wasn't sick of life, I was just sick of the constant pain that I endured for every second of my waking moment."

Many examinations were undertaken to try and find the cause of her problems. Oddly, it was a feather that held the key.

"He showed me a toothpick and asked me to take my top off," she explained.

"Unbeknown to me he had swapped the toothpick for a feather. He touched one part of my back with it and I screamed in agony. It was terrible."

Almost 15 years on she has re-trained her brain to respond positively to the chronic nerve pain condition.

"I did my research on how to trick my brain into thinking despite the pain, my life is worth living," she said.

"I have literally retrained my brain to respond more positively. Usually it's because of anger, of not being able to do what I use to be able to do.

"The pain can be so bad that even a blanket on me can feel like I'm trapped under a car.

"But I now go into automatically pulling myself up and telling myself I have a choice (of whether to suffer).

"It sounds really airy-fairy, but it really does work. I do exercises twice a day, just to remind myself that I have a lot of really good things happening in my life and that life is worth living."

Many other CRPS sufferers live in the Hastings and Mrs Crane wants to help.

She has created a group - the Chronic Pain Warriors - and it is open to join on Facebook. She hopes others suffering can reach out and seek support rather than living in silence.

"What is most important to me is that people see me as the motivated person that I am rather than just a CPRS sufferer," she said.

"The one thing I love to do is contribute to my community. I am a trained psychologist and am lucky to be volunteering at the Port Macquarie Community College and Nautilus Senior College."

She teaches children who are disengaged to reconnect with their community and their life by thinking positively.

You can e-mail her for more information about the group at painwarriors.au@gmail.com