Meet @jenniferhunter: Where Health and Art Meet

Mar 8, 2019 | Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Comments (60)

Member Spotlights feature interviews with fellow Connect members. Learn more about members you’ve connected with and some you haven’t met yet. Nominate a member you think should share the spotlight.

Jennifer Hunter. Connect Member Spotlight. 3.4.19

 

TERESA: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? What motivates you to take part in the community?  

@jenniferhunter: Mayo Clinic’s Facebook posts got me thinking about it. I had life-changing spine surgery at Mayo that restored my ability to work as an artist, and I wanted to be able to help other patients from what I had learned through my experience and give something back to Mayo in gratitude for my recovery. The difference I've found in the Connect community is the higher level of information and links to medical studies. That is more than just a support group: It's a way to learn from others who've been there. I know how hard it can be to navigate medical challenges, and I want to help other patients with information. 

TERESA: What about Connect makes you feel comfortable to share and to be open with the community?

@jenniferhunter: I learned firsthand the differences in what it is like to seek medical care at a place that treats patients with compassion and empathy when I came to Mayo. Connect upholds Mayo's values of being supportive and welcoming, and mentors and members reach out to ask how people are doing. I also like being part of a community that shares good educational resources as well as emotional support for medical issues. I feel I can help others navigate and learn to advocate for themselves. I can share what I've learned about overcoming fear and adversity.

Many Connect members have shared a lot that has helped me, and welcomed me into the community. There is insight into treating and managing health conditions. Having different opinions helps patients find doctors who are at the top of their game, not just at Mayo, but around the country. I've been able to share some of that with people I know outside of Connect.

TERESA: What groups do you participate in?

@jenniferhunter: I checked the groups I follow in my profile and found that I have participated in a lot of groups:

TERESA: Who has been a special connection for you on Connect?

@jenniferhunter: @hopeful33250, @lioness, @johnbishop, @artscaping @loribmt @ralphysmom @becsbuddy, @harriethodgson1, @windwalker, @rosemarya and @gingerw.

TERESA: What surprised you the most about Connect?  

@jenniferhunter: The shared knowledge and willingness of others to help reflects Mayo's values of excellence, which sets it apart from other online support groups. I was welcomed when I started, and my input was valued. I've learned things from others which helped me personally that I wouldn't know about if I hadn't been reading the posts. I think outside the box, and try to empathize with others and think about how would I approach a problem if it was happening to me. Often, I am tagged by a moderator to try to help, or I find a description of symptoms that I recognize as needing medical attention, and I try to educate as to how symptoms might relate a possible problem and how to communicate this with a medical provider, and also which medical specialty may be a good place to start. My biology background helps me explain things from medical literature to make it more understandable.

TERESA: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?

@jenniferhunter: Sometimes it's a juggling session between trying to meet a deadline when I'm working on a new painting for a competition, my physical therapy sessions, driving my mom to her appointments and finding time to work with my horse. Riding him is great exercise, builds my core strength and gets me outside for fresh air and sunshine.

Horses are always honest and communicate their feelings, and my relationship with all my animals is based on respect. With a horse, anything less than that is unsafe, since a human will always lose a contest of strength. You have to become a team with your horse and enjoy things together, and also understand the herd instinct and his relationship to other horses.

TERESA: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity.

@jenniferhunter: Artwork … painting. Nothing feels as good as completing a painting when it all falls into place and comes close to the painting that was inside my head before I began. Often there is an unconscious message I'm expressing which I don't discover until after it is finished. If my painting touches someone else and they can feel like they have experienced it themselves, or it brings them joy, then I have succeeded.

Through my paintings, I can go anywhere my heart desires and to any time period or culture. I love horses, and I like to visit the times when horses were part of everyday life. For all the footprints through time, there were also hoofprints which helped our culture and civilization grow. These were slower, simpler times which defined our heritage as Americans.

TERESA: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?

@jenniferhunter: It was so hard to choose, but I will share two quotes by John Denver. These words share my expression of who I am, and the person I want to be in the world.

“I believe that we are here for each other, not against each other. Everything comes from an understanding that you are a gift in my life whoever you are, whatever our differences.”

“The best thing you have to offer the world is yourself. You don't have to copy anyone else. If you do, you're second best. To achieve success is to be first, and that's being yourself.”

TERESA: What do you appreciate the most in your friends?

@jenniferhunter: Honesty and humor.

TERESA: What food can you simply not resist?

@jenniferhunter: Fresh ripe peaches from the tree not peaches picked before they are ripe and shipped to a store that don't taste or smell like a fresh peach but a soft, fragrant, juicy peach that alone tastes like heaven, where you can hardly stop the juice from running down your face. I have a peach tree that produces some tiny, but oh-so-good peaches.

TERESA: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see cast as you? 

@jenniferhunter: Jane Seymour. I've always liked her as an actress, and she actually knows artists I know who are my friends. I enjoyed Jane's role as Dr. Quinn in the “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman” series, and she also likes and rides horses. The TV show is a historical period drama about life in the Old West. Funny I should like that, right?

TERESA: What do you love about where you live or vacation?

@jenniferhunter: One day, we'll build a house in Colorado near Rocky Mountain National Park, because I love everything about it and will always have something beautiful to enjoy and paint. I was an artist- in-residence at Rocky Mountain National Park in 1996. They have one of my paintings in their permanent collection illustrating the park's historic dedication in 1915.

TERESA: Puppies or kittens?

@jenniferhunter: Kittens ... I have three shelter-rescued cats, two of which were kittens I got right after my spine surgery. They keep me laughing. They also learned how to open cabinets and dresser drawers by watching me, so I have to stay a step ahead of them. I also had a chocolate Lab who learned how to climb a ladder, because I was up in a tree picking apples, and he wanted to be near me.

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@jenniferhunter Thank you jennifer it was a pleasure to get to know you better Your painting is beautiful I wish I could paint like that but I just enjoy it I like your post picture but without the hat I can see your face better and your a beautiful women If my comments have helped you I'm glad

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@hopeful33250

@jenniferhunter

Thank you so much for giving our Connect community some insight into your participation here! It was a pleasure working with you on this interview and I just love the picture you chose for your Spotlight!

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@jenniferhunger Thanks for the Connect Spotlight. It is a great pleasure to get to know you better. You really make me wish I had creative talent and could do beautiful work like you do. It must be very gratifying, particularly the beautiful picture of Dr. Fogelson. I am sure he will treasure that always.
I may visit Rocky Mountain National Park in August when we go to Colorado for our son's wedding. If we do go there I will have to look for the painting you did.
JK

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@gingerw

@jenniferhunter A delightful story and interview with you and what a delight to read all of the comments that follow! I am humbled that you mentioned me in your interview. Your insight and explanation to so many things have been a gift for many of us here, even when we don't say anything outright to you. Sending you blessings and continued success in your painting and recovery from the surgery. Give your horse a rub on the forehead for me!
Ginger

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@Thanks, Ginger. I did see my horse today, and gave him some attention. He is all fuzzy with his winter coat that is a couple inches long and he looks good. I will be going horse camping with him this summer for a week of trail riding with a group from where I board him and I'm looking forward to that a lot. Thanks for your kind words. I am humbled and feel so appreciated. It has meant a lot for me personally to be able to help other patients and help them understand choices they can make about their health.

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@IndianaScott

Terrific Spotlight, @jenniferhunter Cheers — and your art is amazing!

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@IndianaScott Thank you, Scott! It meant a lot to me to paint my surgeon, and he loves the painting. I also like to paint historical subjects from earlier time periods. I hire re-enactors to model for me for reference photos, and I use the images to develop ideas that can tell a story in a painting. Thanks for your comments.

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@lioness

@jenniferhunter Thank you jennifer it was a pleasure to get to know you better Your painting is beautiful I wish I could paint like that but I just enjoy it I like your post picture but without the hat I can see your face better and your a beautiful women If my comments have helped you I'm glad

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@lioness Thanks Lioness. I think we all learn from each other. I'm glad you enjoyed the picture.

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@contentandwell

@jenniferhunger Thanks for the Connect Spotlight. It is a great pleasure to get to know you better. You really make me wish I had creative talent and could do beautiful work like you do. It must be very gratifying, particularly the beautiful picture of Dr. Fogelson. I am sure he will treasure that always.
I may visit Rocky Mountain National Park in August when we go to Colorado for our son's wedding. If we do go there I will have to look for the painting you did.
JK

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@contentandwell Thanks, JK. I am very proud of the painting of Dr. Fogelson. It says a lot about my experience as a patient and what I learned about myself, and my impression of him. He was excited to receive it, and to me it felt wonderful for my work to be so appreciated. He loved it. I knew before I began that this painting would be special and would sing a little louder because of what it meant to me to express my gratitude to him for saving my talent. It gave me a goal in my recovery. I remember him telling me that if it was too difficult to do the paintning, that I didn't have to do it. I knew in my heart, that I had to do this. I needed to know that I could paint again after a few years of not being able to meet my expectations.

I think everyone has some creativity inside. It might not be painting, but it could be another project or photography or writing interesting stories. Those are things that give meaning to our lives. When I watch ballet dancers, I wish I could do the things they do and in my imagination, I can soar with them into the air.

You can call headquarters at Rocky Mountain National Park and ask them about my painting of the Park dedication. I was an artist in residence there in 1996. It has been on public display in the main visitor center, but they also rotate their collections and it could be in storage in the collections building or on loan in an exhibit at another museum. You can ask to see it if it is not on display. It is based on historic photos from the 1915 dedication, and shows a photographer taking one of the actual photos from that day. i and my husband are people in the painting and he also posed as the photographer. Thanks again for your wonderful compliments. I appreciate them very much!

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@jenniferhunter

@contentandwell Thanks, JK. I am very proud of the painting of Dr. Fogelson. It says a lot about my experience as a patient and what I learned about myself, and my impression of him. He was excited to receive it, and to me it felt wonderful for my work to be so appreciated. He loved it. I knew before I began that this painting would be special and would sing a little louder because of what it meant to me to express my gratitude to him for saving my talent. It gave me a goal in my recovery. I remember him telling me that if it was too difficult to do the paintning, that I didn't have to do it. I knew in my heart, that I had to do this. I needed to know that I could paint again after a few years of not being able to meet my expectations.

I think everyone has some creativity inside. It might not be painting, but it could be another project or photography or writing interesting stories. Those are things that give meaning to our lives. When I watch ballet dancers, I wish I could do the things they do and in my imagination, I can soar with them into the air.

You can call headquarters at Rocky Mountain National Park and ask them about my painting of the Park dedication. I was an artist in residence there in 1996. It has been on public display in the main visitor center, but they also rotate their collections and it could be in storage in the collections building or on loan in an exhibit at another museum. You can ask to see it if it is not on display. It is based on historic photos from the 1915 dedication, and shows a photographer taking one of the actual photos from that day. i and my husband are people in the painting and he also posed as the photographer. Thanks again for your wonderful compliments. I appreciate them very much!

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@jenniferhunter We haven't decided yet what we will do after our long weekend in Denver -- Thursday through Monday -- but since we will be going all that way (we live in NH) I would like to do something else too. I had originally thought the Grand Canyon but that may not be possible. His wedding is in Pine, Colorado, about 45 minutes outside of Denver.
JK

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@contentandwell

@jenniferhunter We haven't decided yet what we will do after our long weekend in Denver -- Thursday through Monday -- but since we will be going all that way (we live in NH) I would like to do something else too. I had originally thought the Grand Canyon but that may not be possible. His wedding is in Pine, Colorado, about 45 minutes outside of Denver.
JK

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@contentandwell Hi JK. Colorado is a pretty big place and it will take some time to drive to places. PIne is southwest of Denver, and Estes Park (Rocky Mountain National Park) is northwest of Denver, and that might be 3 hours to travel between them. The Grand Canyon is far away. You probably need to plan extra days to go there and to make sure you have enough time to enjoy it when you get there. You can't really imagine how big the Grand Canyon is until you see it, and the colors change with the time of day. I took the mule trip to the bottom from the South Rim some years ago and stayed at Phantom Ranch. It's a 5 hour ride down, and the mules cross a bridge over the river at the bottom. Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you have trouble with the altitude, make sure to take it easy and drink lots of water.

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@jenniferhunter

@contentandwell Hi JK. Colorado is a pretty big place and it will take some time to drive to places. PIne is southwest of Denver, and Estes Park (Rocky Mountain National Park) is northwest of Denver, and that might be 3 hours to travel between them. The Grand Canyon is far away. You probably need to plan extra days to go there and to make sure you have enough time to enjoy it when you get there. You can't really imagine how big the Grand Canyon is until you see it, and the colors change with the time of day. I took the mule trip to the bottom from the South Rim some years ago and stayed at Phantom Ranch. It's a 5 hour ride down, and the mules cross a bridge over the river at the bottom. Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you have trouble with the altitude, make sure to take it easy and drink lots of water.

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Thanks, Jennifer @jenniferhunter We did so local traveling outside of Denver when we were there in October and February. We went up to Copper Mountain, and another area, I forget where, and in February we drove to the wedding venue in Pine. We will be staying in Denver though, I have reserved a VRBO there for us, our daughter and husband, and my sister and husband.

The distance to Grand Canyon is pretty much why we may have abandoned that idea. My husband has ALWAYS wanted to go there but from what I hear it will be quite hot there then, plus could still have large crowds of vacationers. I think we would fly from Denver to one of the airports in AZ or to Las Vegas and drive the four hours from whichever. Plans are still being made though.

I have not had trouble with the altitude before. The wedding venue is at about 8500', so hopefully, no one will have a problem with that altitude.
JK

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@contentandwell

Thanks, Jennifer @jenniferhunter We did so local traveling outside of Denver when we were there in October and February. We went up to Copper Mountain, and another area, I forget where, and in February we drove to the wedding venue in Pine. We will be staying in Denver though, I have reserved a VRBO there for us, our daughter and husband, and my sister and husband.

The distance to Grand Canyon is pretty much why we may have abandoned that idea. My husband has ALWAYS wanted to go there but from what I hear it will be quite hot there then, plus could still have large crowds of vacationers. I think we would fly from Denver to one of the airports in AZ or to Las Vegas and drive the four hours from whichever. Plans are still being made though.

I have not had trouble with the altitude before. The wedding venue is at about 8500', so hopefully, no one will have a problem with that altitude.
JK

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@contentandwell Have you thought about the Petrified forest ? It is in Az . not sure if its Flaggstaff or more in southern Az just a thought . Ive been to the Grand Canyon and it is spectacular We stayed in Williams Az lots of Elvis memorabilia there , then went on to Grand Canyon

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