Link: Regina Holliday's Medical Advocacy Blog: Dark Willow and "73 Cents"
The mural 73 Cents and Regina Holliday's story, at the link above, touched me deeply with insights into the family of a dying man in our healthcare system. His story is told in a mural of truths.
I found Regina's expression of artistry as a therapeutic venue to weather the grief and subsequent healing as this story is told.
Regina writes, "What really matters is how we live while we are here, how we treat others, and how important it is to stand up for what is right, even if it is hard. Someone asked at Fred's memorial service, 'Will you go Dark Willow?' I said I would on a Twitter post soon after. I suppose in a way I did. ...73 Cents, is my tribute painting to Fred, my treatise on the current medical system."
Stories like this provide the opportunity for all of us to consider what works, or doesn't, in our medical system, but more importantly, how each of us may be impacted in its wake.
The story of death and dying is for many, a difficult and generally avoided topic of conversation. That is, until we experience it. My grandfather died not too many years ago, and the Priest asked if I would be able to provide a Elogy of my Grandfather's life. Yes, I replied.
That night, I tried to write down what I would say the next day at his funeral. No matter how hard I tried, only 5 words came to my mind.. Grandpa is a good man. Around 3 o'clock in the morning, as I was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling, I had a vision of white bright light, and a door closing. I do not suggest that I have any sort of "special knowledge" but in hindsight, this vision of light helped me to finish the elogy.. I told everyone the next day that "Grandpa was a good man, and here are the many reasons why... this is how he touched my life, his wife, his children, his friends... Perhaps this became an artistic voice for my love and his passing. Although we probably do not really "heal" after a grave loss, we seek, but don't always find find an inner peace.
When my Grandmother passed, I began painting. In summary, I am not prone to posting sensitive personal experiences on this blog, so, I will end with some closing words from an unknown author.
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about learning to dance in the rain."
The mural 73 Cents and Regina Holliday's story, at the link above, touched me deeply with insights into the family of a dying man in our healthcare system. His story is told in a mural of truths.
I found Regina's expression of artistry as a therapeutic venue to weather the grief and subsequent healing as this story is told.
Regina writes, "What really matters is how we live while we are here, how we treat others, and how important it is to stand up for what is right, even if it is hard. Someone asked at Fred's memorial service, 'Will you go Dark Willow?' I said I would on a Twitter post soon after. I suppose in a way I did. ...73 Cents, is my tribute painting to Fred, my treatise on the current medical system."
Stories like this provide the opportunity for all of us to consider what works, or doesn't, in our medical system, but more importantly, how each of us may be impacted in its wake.
The story of death and dying is for many, a difficult and generally avoided topic of conversation. That is, until we experience it. My grandfather died not too many years ago, and the Priest asked if I would be able to provide a Elogy of my Grandfather's life. Yes, I replied.
That night, I tried to write down what I would say the next day at his funeral. No matter how hard I tried, only 5 words came to my mind.. Grandpa is a good man. Around 3 o'clock in the morning, as I was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling, I had a vision of white bright light, and a door closing. I do not suggest that I have any sort of "special knowledge" but in hindsight, this vision of light helped me to finish the elogy.. I told everyone the next day that "Grandpa was a good man, and here are the many reasons why... this is how he touched my life, his wife, his children, his friends... Perhaps this became an artistic voice for my love and his passing. Although we probably do not really "heal" after a grave loss, we seek, but don't always find find an inner peace.
When my Grandmother passed, I began painting. In summary, I am not prone to posting sensitive personal experiences on this blog, so, I will end with some closing words from an unknown author.
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain."