Here's another story about my story and recovery of my painting ability with a little help from a gifted surgeon. Country Magazine told my story in a feature article they named "Victorious". I have to say I love that title! I used the healing power of art to get myself through spine surgery and reclaim my ability to create my art work.

I made a little video to show the magazine spread and a closer look at my paintings they featured. The painting of the Native Americans herding horses in a river is the painting I took with me to Mayo when I went for my spine consult. I hung it on the wall so I could look at it during some painful nerve tests, and it gave me a familiar place for my mind to escape instead of focusing on the pain from those tests. When I met Dr. Fogelson the first time, I brought that painting with me to show him what I needed to be able to do again. I had been turned down by so many other surgeons who didn't understand how important it was for me to regain my art talent that I had worked so hard to achieve, and the injury was taking my ability to hold my arms up and control their movement.

Dr. Fogelson loved this painting and that is how we began our doctor/patient relationship, and I brought new paintings to follow up appointments which he enjoyed seeing. The most important painting of my life was the first one after my recovery; the portrait I did for him as a gift in gratitude for restoring my artistic gift, and I brought it to my one year post op follow up. He actually received it a year later after I was able to replace the special hand made frame that had been damaged in shipping and that photo is in my Sharing Mayo Clinic Story.

Here is the online content of the Country magazine article
https://jwcdaily.com/countrymag/2019/10/03/victorious/
This is my Mayo Clinic Patient Story
https://sharing.mayoclinic.org/2019/01/09/using-the-art-of-medicine-to-overcome-fear-of-surgery/