Carrying on the theme, looking at the therapeutic benefits of
beading and how it relieves anxiety and
depression. I want to share the story of
my friend Dawn Walker who is
currently living with an
illness that manifests itself with constant chronic
pain.
I interviewed Dawn
and asked her a few questions about how
she copes with her illness and discussed how jewellery making helps her
therapeutically. I hope her answers will help others who are undergoing challenging times will be encouraged by this
blog post with the view that there is light at the end of tunnel through creativity.
Can you tell me a little about your
illness and how it impacts on your health
I
have chronic pelvic pain which hasn't been given a conclusive diagnosis. I am
in constant acute pain 24/7 and only get varying levels of relief from a number
of opiates and strong painkillers, ranging from mild to moderate. On a scale of
1 - 10 my days go from a 6/7 which takes a lot from myself for it to be just
bearable, but the pain increases in waves, which literally wash over me. When
the pain worsens I struggle to keep control.
My
illness has affected every part of my life, there are weeks where I simply
cannot get out of bed because of the pain and have to remain in my bedroom all
day ( the worst part of that is all the days I've missed spending time with my
2 two sons).
Physically,
I find it hard to walk and most days I can only walk a few feet. There are
times where I won't leave the house for weeks on end. Most nights I
don't sleep, if I'm lucky I may get one full night of sleep a week then maybe a
few hours a few hours but more often than not I will not sleep a wink.
I
think the most upsetting thing is the way all the medication I take
affects my memory, I've gone from intelligent, articulate to someone who
can't hold a sentence, I often forget the simplest of words. I have violent
limb spasms, I've scolded myself countless times.
I'm
unable to do any housework, I can't cook a family meal unaided as I can't bend
to the oven.
I
also have Fowlers Syndrome, whereby I can no longer empty my bladder
spontaneously and, now have to self-catheterise, which is horrible believe me.
Emotionally,
my illness has driven me to the lowest of lows, because people can't see anything
physical. I became suicidal
and the last 6 months have been very challenging for me. I've battled my demons
and every day was a struggle
What made you decide to turn to
jewellery making
I'd saw a bracelet on eBay and I commented to
fiancé that I could make a similar bracelet with my own personal touches, so I
ordered some jewellery making supplies and a few days a later a couple of small
jiffy envelopes arrived with my supplies. That very day I sat down and
started making jewellery. Initially I used a lot of upcycled components from my
own jewellery collection.
Up until that day my life was at all time low
and I was really struggling with thoughts of self harm but jewellery making served as a new outlet for
me and
had a huge impact on my life, I haven't looked back.
 |
| Beautiful Wire Wrap Bracelet created and designed by Dawn Walker |
How has jewellery making helped you
personally
Jewellery
making for me has given me so much, I've found solace in my jewellery making.
I've made friends through Facebook I’ve met some amazing people too.
I've
found a new purpose in life and even though my daily life is still a struggle,
when I sit down and my hands start making something that I'd pictured in my
mind, I can lose myself in what I'm doing. It helps quieten my mind and helps
me focus when my pain often becomes so bad that I lose control and panic.
And I know that making jewellery is what I really want to do, to learn, I
desperately want to become skilled jewellery maker. I know that's where my
journey is to be, I've thoroughly enjoyed it thus far and know the road ahead
is going to be an exciting one.
 |
| Gorgeous Beaded Bracelet by Dawn Walker |
I want to thank Dawn for her candid and heartfelt answers.
Below are a few of Dawn’s exquisite jewellery
designs
 |
| Crystal and Wire Wrap Bracelet by Dawn Walker |
 |
| Exquisite Wire Wrap Pendant Necklace created and designed by Dawn Walker |
