Cushing's Bios

A long-time member of the Cushing’s Help message boards, AutumnOMA , gave me permission to share info about these wonderful Cushing’s Awareness Stickers she has made:

CUSHING’S AWARENESS RIBBON STICKERS ARE HERE and you can get your own!!!

April is CUSHING’S Awareness Month. In honor of raising awareness, I decided to use my original Cushing’s Awareness Ribbon art to create a sticker.

In 2005, just after my pituitary surgery, while I was at home recovering and suffering thru the weening process, I decided to create an artful awareness ribbon that spoke to the beauty within each Cushie Warrior. This is why…

Cushings’s changes us. Emotionally, spiritually and physically. It takes a toll. I felt wounded beyond my medical issues. I no longer recognized my own face staring back at me from the mirror. My body took on a form of its own that was unrecognizable to me. My heart and soul ached for what I had lost because of this disease. I felt judged on appearance alone. I forgot who I was. I forgot how to see past the physical things that I couldn’t control and the daily pain. I forgot the carefree beauty of simply being alive.

I had struggled for years for a diagnosis and almost lost myself, my mind and everything I held dear. But I had made it through to the other side. Diagnosis and surgery – finally! But it was still difficult. I needed to know that I could find my inner strength to keep at it. I had to trust in my own strength and resilience to adjust to changes and find joy in the life I had. I had to believe that I had not endured what I had for no reason.

The simple truth of the matter was that I wasn’t sure how to do any of that. It felt too big; too hard. The only thing I knew with certainty was that if I could be brave enough to share my story and help raise awareness for the rare disease I was living with, maybe I could help one person…and helping one person – just one person- know they were not alone…well that was reason enough to try.

And so I set out to raise awareness and hopefully offer support to other by means of sharing my journey.

The first thing I decided was that I wanted an awareness ribbon to wear. I wanted to proudly display (like all those pretty little pink ribbons that are everywhere) that I too survived a life altering disease and I did it with little support.? There wasn’t a large Foundation like Komen, raiding money to find a cure for me. Heck, Doctors didn’t even know what Cushing’s was, let alone the vast majority of the public in general. But I wanted to pin something pretty on my shirt. I wanted an awareness ribbon that embodied hope and beauty. I wanted to wear a ribbon that would inspire people to ask me what it stood for. And so…I made my own.

As an artist, I like to create things that make me feel something. I like to create from a place of inspiration that feels good and comfortable to my soul.

I used to think that flowers, cut, in a garden or otherwise were a waste of time, effort and money because the bloom and die so quickly. But what I came to realize was that was what in fact made them so special. No matter how short the length of time they were around was, they still grew and bloomed into a spectacular show (even if for just a short while) and brought smiles and beauty to the world. What a wonderful gift to be grateful for.

For me, flowers never fail to make me smile. They are fragile, but but resilient. They are colorful and happy. They freely give their beauty for all to enjoy…they were perfect in my mind for an awareness ribbon. And from that thought came the piece of art that is the Cushing’s Awareness Ribbon or blue and yellow flowers.

I am very proud of it. And I am proud to offer these stickers with my art ribbon to help raise awareness.

These stickers are 2.5”x2.5” full color vinyl circles (approximately the size of your palm.).

Profits made from the sale of these stickers will be donated to help fund organizations that work hard to offer continued support and help for those struggling with Cushing’s – whether that be getting a diagnosis, making it through recovery or learning to live with the changes the disease brings about in our lives.

If you would like to purchase stickers please see the attached picture that include all the details about pricing and payment.

Here’s to us all remembering our inner beauty and finding a way to let it shine despite this disease…or maybe because we have this disease and realize how amazing we are as survivors!