Experience Creative Healing
A Discovery that changed my life
I realized that within my own personal experience, I had a lot of resources to help myself as a surgical patient. I used art and music as my therapy to help get past my fears and embrace the treatment that I needed. I was faced with a choice. If my fear made my choices for me, I would have become disabled in a lot of ways, and I would not be able to continue to paint at the level I expected of myself.
Art and music have true healing power, and creating art takes that one step further for me. There is an emotional side to healing and recovery, and for me that was to overcome the fears that had help me back in my life. Facing major surgery has a way of bringing all of that into focus. This was truly life changing for me in many ways. Any creative activity can help a patient cope with the stress of health issues or even just taking a walk and appreciating and enjoying nature. You don’t need to have artistic talent, and can benefit from activities that are meaningful to you.
Shared Experiences
Through my personal stories, and stories from others, I hope to lead a way to personal growth and overcoming fears that can hold a person back from their true potential, and to help people learn to advocate for themselves and make choices that better their health and wellness.
My knowledge of medical issues comes from some of my experience, some experience as a caregiver to aging parents, a back ground in biology and art, and working in biology research. My contributions as a lab assistant have been published in scientifiic literature and I also seek out and read medical literature to help me understand medical conditions and current treatment, issues and research. That helps me make informed decisions and I can be an advocate for myself and other patients.
Mayo Clinic Connect
Since my recovery from spine surgery at Mayo I have been a volunteer on Mayo Clinic Connect which is a patient forum to discuss medical topics. My background in biology helps me understand science and medical literature, and I have learned a lot about medical issues while advocating for myself and other family members. I have also learned a lot from my physical therapist during my rehab work. Anyone is welcome on Mayo Clinic Connect and you do not need to be a Mayo patient to participate.
Here is the link if you wish to join.