Story of art, creativity and Addison’s Disease

Art is the creation of a shared space, a new ground on which to meet, a point of 

encounter. Creative expression has been an essential part of me since I was a very 

young child. Through whole my life, I have explored variety of ways in which art and 

creativity invites us to new understanding and meaning. I draw from deep within to 

open new windows of perception through my painting. 

After graduating from University, I worked as Child Psychologist with children with special needs and their 

families in Czech Republic. Later, I lived and worked with adults with learning 

disabilities in L'Arche https://www.larchelondon.org.uk Communities in the UK and L'Arche Calgary, Canada. 
I really enjoyed 

participating in art and craft projects with people - encouraging their creativity as well 

as using my own creative skills. I was really inspired by the amazing creativity and 

artistic expression of people with learning disabilities.  

Since becoming a parent of a child with autism, I began a new part of my life journey, 

being a parent alongside working in several jobs supporting children and adults with 

special needs. 

In my art, I express my feelings, thoughts and dreams, transforming my life 

experience into a wide variety of colours, shapes and textures.  Since my teenage 

years, I have painted and drawn to explore the journey of my Christian faith. 

After becoming progressively more and more ill for nearly a year, I received a 

diagnosis of Addison’s Disease while on holiday abroad in August 2015. This 

experience transformed my life in a new way and was reflected in my art and 

creative expression. As always, creativity helps me to process thoughts and feelings 

– especially the intensity of feelings of coming to terms with having lifelong and life-

threatening illness. I have really appreciated the excellent support from  https://www.addisonsdisease.org.uk/what-is-addisons-disease  Addisons

Support Self Help groups, these became my lifeline in coming to terms and coping 

with the daily challenges of life with Addison’s Disease. I am always happy to share 

my art and creativity with others, trusting that the feelings and thought I express 

through my art might speak to others. 

Here I would like to invite you to see 3 of my paintings that illustrated my Addison’s 

journey so far. 

1st artwork “Refined hope” I painted on 31st August 2015, after return back to UK 

from holiday where my life was saved by the hospital doctor diagnosing Addison’s 

and beginning treatment with steroids. I nearly died travelling abroad to visit my 

Mum, but it was my Mum who noticed I was suffering from symptoms of Addison’s 

Disease, saw I was approaching an Addisonian Crisis and took me to hospital. 

Coming back to the UK, I faced the challenge of having my diagnosis recognised 

and confirmed by the UK health care system. Painting “Refined hope” brings 

together my feelings of surprise of having a new diagnosis and feelings of the search 

for a direction for my journey forward. Somehow I felt that part of me died inside, but 

in that process, the hope was refined and the new beginning began. 

2nd artwork “A sense of place” I painted on 12th September 2015 as I was

was processing my experience of my first initial assessment by a UK endocrinologist, 

where I felt not fully listened to and felt that my concerns and questions were not 

addressed. Prior to that appointment I gained a confidence and hope that I would 

manage my new illness well, but that was broken by the feeling of not being 

understood. I painted to express my feeling of confusion and fear about the future, 

but also to express my hope and trust that there is a way forward for me. Painting “A 

sense of place” meant I was seeking to be deeply rooted in who I was, in my own 

identity and in my faith. Through the pain, uncertainty and confusion I opened my 

heart to new growth and exploration. 

3rd artwork “Journey forward” I painted on 30th October 2015, while spending a day 

at the Endocrine Investigation Unit, going through Day Curve test to further clarify my 

treatment for the now officially UK confirmed diagnosis of Addison’s Disease. I was happy that the nurse was able to place a cannula into my left arm for the all-day 

blood tests, allowing me to use my right hand for painting on my Ipad while at the 

hospital. “Journey forward” expresses my new stage of my Addison’s journey, as I 

was able to access a second opinion by a different Endocrinologist, an excellent 

specialist for Addison’s Disease. Meeting this doctor for an assessment has been a 

deeply healing experience for me – finally to be listened to, and to know that my 

complex conditions are being taken seriously. I have had Hashimoto’s Autoimunne 

Thyroiditis for 32 years of my life already and now adding new diagnosis of 

Addison’s Autoimunne Disease made my health more complex. I am so thankful that 

I am now able to access excellent care from a specialist in this field. And I have 

already begun to improve for the first time in a year – thanks to the adjustment of my 

medication during the first assessment by my new Endocrinologist. 

And in 2017 I was able to speak to medical students:

Sharing my story