Stories & Achievements: Cheryl’s Story
Cathy’s story: a picture is worth a thousand words
Now living in Maitland, Cathy’s place of residence has many walls adorned with two dozen of her amazing paintings. Having been a prolific artist throughout her life Cathy proudly shows us pages of photo albums that have documented her impressive artworks over the years.
Cathy has completed a number of paintings since her stroke, and is particularly proud of the local landscape painting she completed with just one hand and that helped the residents win the local “Build Your Town” competition in Maitland.
“I was born in Weston and have always painted, every since I was a little girl. I taught art for a while on the Central Coast. I mainly do watercolour and pastel. I did most of the art here before my stroke, which was in 2009. The stroke was a big change. It was more than just physical. It meant no more art teaching. My memory was affected, my speech too. One side is good, the other I can’t move. I’m in a lot of pain.”
“ Having a stroke is a big thing. A big thing.”
Cathy is choosing to keep a positive attitude despite having challenges, including speaking to us while doing this interview. Cathy suffers from Aphasia. This is evident in her lack of ability to process the words in the brain to be converted to speech. Aphasia causes a lot of frustration for people like Cathy, as they know what they want to say, yet struggle to articulate in words.
Cathy is now trying her hand at mosaic art sculptures, helped by Headstart support workers. “My favourite flower is the sunflower, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Sunflowers make me feel happy! I like doing new things. Other ways that my support workers help me is with hydrotherapy baths, groceries, laundry and gardening. I love gardening. My support workers mean a lot to me and they are very good for me. I can’t imagine it without them”.
“One hand is enough. I can do it.”
Besides more artwork, Cathy hopes to travel in the future. “I still dream of a cruise to New Zealand. And one day to visit Rome.” (This interview was done in February before COVID-19 restrictions took effect).
