Anatomy of a Crash

Every piece in this collection was started and finished between October 14, 2021 and April 30, 2022. On October 14, I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Bell’s is a facial paralysis that comes on suddenly with no definitive cause. It is not a stroke, although it acts like one. The nerve that supplies movement and nourishment to the face gets choked off at the base of the skull. Eventually, if left untreated, paralysis sets in.

When Bell’s went on the attack within me, it rampaged. I experienced severe paralysis that made the right side of my face look like a melted waxed candle. Everything changed overnight. The way I drank water (dribbled out of my mouth), shampooed my hair (couldn’t shut my eye), and slept (had to put ointment in my eye tape it shut to sleep) changed overnight. I didn’t want to leave my house. I felt so vulnerable. It was so painful. And I was so, so overwhelmed and exhausted. I slept for days and days. I didn’t work for 3 months. It was one of the larger physical and emotional sledgehammers I’ve experienced in my adult life. In short, my nervous system crashed. I was completely burned out.

Luckily, 9 out of 10 people fully heal from Bell’s—spontaneously—after 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, it’s still with me. I estimate that I am at about 80% healed. Every day, I believe I am getting better.

I got through this difficult series of months by picking up my paintbrushes. What you see in this collection is the result. It’s the anatomy of my crash.

Chariti