Brain Surgery and Zentangle

Beep… beep… beep… “Breathe Christine, come on you have to take a breath” beep… beep… beep… “Christine, you HAVE to breathe!”  beep… beep… beep… I just want to be left alone to sleep. Don’t make me try to breathe, it hurts.

That was three years ago this month. I’d had a brain tumor (benign) for a few years but started having odd symptoms that I couldn’t explain. My doctor scheduled an MRI. The results showed that the tumor had grown double in size and was in an area of my brain that would cause seizures if it continued to grow. The recommendation was to take it out.

There was a good chance I could die. I wanted a family picture before I went in for surgery. I was afraid that would be the last image they would see of me.

After surgery my motor skills were virtually non existent. I couldn’t pick up small objects with my fingers. I had difficulty with hand eye coordination. For someone who is on a keyboard for a living, this is not good. I asked for some cheerios. I poured some out on my tray table and kept practicing picking one up, putting it in a container, picking up another and putting it in the container. I would do this over and over again until I was too tired to do it anymore.

Brain Surgery Staples

Recovery was difficult. But I am very lucky. Some of the people that have had this same surgery have been left unable to form let alone retrieve words, unable to walk without assistance and unable to care for themselves.

I discovered Zentangle through a series of amazing events. It still blows my mind to imagine how much I needed Zengangle in my life. (you can read more about it here http://bossycow.net/zentangle-discovery-2/) I suffer from headaches on a daily basis. The process of Zentangle has allowed me to get away from the pain. I find myself in a zen state of relaxation all because of the Zentangle method. I’m thankful every day for the Certified Zentangle teacher who gave me the opportunity to do something that helps me heal. I want to become a Certified Zentangle teacher so that I have the credentials and ability to teach others who have been in the same or similar circumstances as me. I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign so that I can do just that. https://www.gofundme.com/czbq84v5

Zentangle is the one thing that lets me focus and just breathe.