Cherie's Progress

Cherie, up and supporting much of her own weight, with the PT

It's been a while since I did a post on Cherie. I've been visiting her pretty regularly in Vero Beach and she's been making a lot of progress! She's working really hard with all of her weekly therapies and her dedication shows! 

Cherie has started her own amazing blog that tells her story of the accident and the following days, weeks, months of her life. She's an AMAZING writer and she has an incredible story to tell. If you ever wanted to be thankful for being able to scratch your nose, or if you ever felt down on yourself, Cherie's story will make you sit up and take notice of all you have to appreciate in life. 

She sent out this update today, things are looking amazingly positive:

Hello All, 

Just a quickie here… I am gaining so much, so fast that we have actually had to start keeping a journal wherein we write progress incidents almost daily. With the use of the standing frame every week I seem to improve all the more rapidly. Not only am I gaining in muscle tone in my legs but I am also gaining sensation off and on. My level of injury dictates initially, paralysis from the shoulders down. Obviously this isn't true any longer. But the interesting thing is that true sensation does seem to follow the path of the injury from the top down. So now I am feeling hot water, texture from bath towels and more touch specifically along my upper back and upper chest. My cold receptors turned on first which of course is ridiculously uncomfortable when you know it's 80° outside! Now I am getting more warm receptors and hopefully one day my thermostat will level out!

Anyway long and short of it, too much to say and try and condense an update. My hope is that I can transfer from the updates to the blog. I will catch my blog up to present day. And anyone who wishes to keep tabs can sign up to receive updates via e-mail. I have just posted page 7 of my blog. Anyone can comment, anyone can read. I want to be able to help people with the things I share. And just a word of caution if it hasn't already been obvious, I'm not going to sugarcoat what's difficult. On the other hand I am not going to allow the painful parts to dampen or suppress "me" my spirit or my forward motion.

Love you guys, for everything every one of you has contributed past present or ever after. There's a saying "It Takes a Village". Perhaps in some existential way, you are my village! Big hugs!

Cherie

http://castannard.blogspot.com/

Cherie's Progress

Yours Truly (left) with Cherie in Spain, 1985

How about that high waist band? OMG

I'm headed to Vero Beach this morning to visit with Cherie. Thanks to donations and the kindness of strangers through her website, Cherie finally has a handicapped accessible van!! Yes, she was able to purchase a used van and I cannot wait to go "out and about" with her. It's been almost two years since her paralyzing car accident and she has been basically house-bound since September 30, 2010.

Cherie's Help Hope Live website has allowed folks to donate tax deductible donations and this is what added up to the purchase of the van.

I'll catch you all up on how much trouble we get into when I return!

Read more of my posts about Cherie here

Cherie's Progress

Me and the Birthday Girl, February 2, 2011

Today got out on the FL Turnpike in my smart car and made the 2+ hour trip to Vero Beach to visit Cherie for her birthday. Got stuck behind a couple of big HUGE trucks carrying citrus on route 60 in Vero and could not help but wonder how the ones on the bottom do not get totally crushed. Then I figured, they probably do since FL citrus is primarily for juice anyway....

Cherie has been home less than a week and they are still trying to work out a system for her care, but overall she seemed really well as did her sister and sister in law. I finally got to meet Milla (say mee-lah) the cat subject of many awesome portraits! She stepped on my iPhone and almost sent a text from the kitchen table.

Cherie's tracheotomy has been surgically closed and should be healed soon, hence the gauze you see at the base of her neck in this photo. Doesn't she just look great with her big smile and her new hair cut? She is in a temporary wheel chair here until her custom made ride is ready.

We spent the day eating, drinking tea, and talking -- just like the old days! We had a very nice visit, her sister Sue and sister in law Alison took advantage of my being there to run some errands and gather up some birthday surprises. The plan is that the family will have order-in Thai food tonight in celebration of Cherie's 43rd.

I'm was really touched at one point when Cherie choked back the tears to tell me that all the cards and letters she has received as a result of this blog have meant more to her than I could ever know. She said that she could never thank me (and all of you) enough for that. She told me that she was amazed at the ripple effect that I had caused, all over the world, by throwing in that stone and asking people to reach out to a stranger in need.

So thank you she says. from the bottom of her heart on her 43rd birthday.

Cherie's Progress

Cherie (right) and I, somewhere in Spain, 1984

Cherie is making the long trip home to Vero Beach today from Atlanta! She's all finished at Shepherd Center for spinal cord rehab. They are driving 10 hours, stopping every half hour for her to reposition. She is returning to her sister's house and I encourage anyone who'd like to send a hand-made or even a store-bought card to welcome her home! The family has used donated funds from www.cheriestannard.com and the book I produced, to help pay for a manual lift, installing a ramp, and widening doorways in their home.

February 2nd is Cherie's 43rd birthday, won't you consider sending her a note? I'm planning to drive down and visit her. I'm sure that embarking on this new year of her new life is overwhelming, and I know that our thoughts and cards can only help.

Thanks for caring about Cherie:

Cherie Stannard
c/o Sue Merrick
515 11th Court
Vero Beach, FL 32962

Cherie's Progress

Global Peace Film Festival Poster

I'm happy to say that the Global Peace Film Festival is working with me to raise funds for my paralyzed friend Cherie. They have agreed to give 50% of proceeds from the sales of posters to her charitable trust. 

The posters this year feature my original artwork and are all hand signed! 

What's the connection between Cherie and Global Peace Film Festival you ask? They are screening the film "Defining Beauty; Ms. Wheelchair America" here in Orlando. Cherie is making the trip up to Orlando from Vero Beach on Thursday, September 22 to speak at the film screening. It's at the Plaza Cinema Cafe in Downtown Orlando.

Come out and see the film and meet Cherie if you live close.
Click here to purchase your signed copy of the poster and donate to TWO great causes!

Update on Cherie at Shepherd Center

Cherie is small blonde girl in poncho, holding her shoulders is her sister Sue, who is holding her shoulders again these days. Off to the far left in the orange turtle neck is her brother Rich

Cherie has spent the last three days straight OFF the ventilator! This is a huge step and was the focus of the holiday weekend at Shepherd Center. Her sister and brother have been there with her, learning how to participate in her care; skills for the future. On Dec 9, their spouses will also be making the trip to Atlanta to take orientation classes as well as cheer Cherie on in her progress. This family is amazingly dedicated, and as a result they are financially burdened. If anyone has any ideas on how to help with living expenses for Cherie's support system, ideas are welcome. Both her sister and brother have had to quit their jobs and commit to providing her care upon release from Shepherd in 4-6 weeks.

A Very Special Donation

Missy Mathis Stillwell contacted me via Facebook and asked if she could donate a piece of pottery to the efforts of raising money for Cherie. We kicked around the idea of logistically how we would do it- get the mug from her to whoever agrees to buy it, get the money from them to Cherie's family and who pays for the shipping? It got a little confusing.

Missy really wanted to make this donation in honor of her niece who passed away at a very young age of 8 years old after a very long hospitalization. She said that so many people were so good to her sister in her time of need, that she wanted to pay it forward by making it a little easier on people who have experienced heartache as a little way to honor her niece.

After some discussion, Missy has decided to donate the mug to someone in need this Christmas, and to donate the cost of the mug to Cherie's family. She and I agreed, it's a "win-win" scenario.

Won't you take a moment to visit Missy's Etsy store and consider thanking her for reaching out to Cherie? You might find something special for someone on your list.

If you are an artist and you are willing to facilitate a sale/donation of art on behalf of Cherie's family, contact me and we can work something out!

Good News for Cherie!

Today may just have been my last visit to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pearce, FL. While I was in with Cherie this morning, the social worker, her brother, her sister, her trauma PA and her Reiki Massage therapist all crowded into the room for some "good news"

Here's the news: Medicaid has approved the extension of benefits and the out of state transfer from FL to GA so that Cherie can move on to Shepherd Center in Atlanta!

We are so excited! One last signature is needed, Shepherd Center big wigs need to put the final signatures on the dotted line. Once this is done (we are hoping today/tomorrow) she will be air lifted from Fort Pearce to Atlanta to start learning how to use adaptive equipment, and to get as much as she can out of her physical conditiion.

I am really going to miss seeing her every week, but I promised to fly up to Atlanta as soon as I have the dates and details of her rehab.

Please continue to send your love letters and cards, I hope to have an Atlanta address to share soon. Today Cherie told me (with her VOICE) about the card that Teresa Palomar Louis sent her from SPAIN! Cherie and I visited Spain together in high school on our junior class trip, our first time to Europe! She said to me, "HOW do you have connections to people in SPAIN?????" I told her " People are inherently good, and the internet is an amazing thing"


Isn't that the truth?

Cherie's Progress

Cherie visits me at college, 1986

I visited Cherie today and I'm happy to say that when I got in the room I HEARD her say "Oh, Hi!" Actually with her own voice. She has been doing 2+ hours at a time off the ventilator lately, with a speech collar in place so that she can use her voice and be heard. She asked the nurse's to set her up so that when I got there, she could talk.

I nearly cried, I have not heard her say anything since September, and to actually be able to talk back and forth with her was wonderful.

One of the things she told me in about an hour of speaking was "I am getting so many nice cards, EVERY single day. I want so badly to tell you something to write on your blog, to thank people." She was too tired to dictate today, but I told her next week we will see how she feels. Stay tuned for that!

She told me a story of a a card she received from a woman who told her she had bought it years and years ago and saved it, she loved it so much. This week, she sent it to Cherie. Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity.

She told me that yesterday she called her brother Rich, and actually told him on the phone, "Happy Birthday" He cried. Wouldn't you?

Rich lives in Colorado and since the accident has made two trips back and forth to Florida. Since Cherie's father died, Rich has tried to be her protector in this ordeal. He has quite a heavy burden on his heart and mind.

Raising Money for Cherie

Wildflowers, 12x16, collage on cradled panel

Cherie's brother Rich has been flying back and forth from Colorado to FL to spend weeks at a time at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center with her. Rich is a professional musician (drummer) and the economy has taken its toll on his line of work.

Rich is headed back to FL tomorrow, after hearing Cherie speak on the phone to him and actually say "Happy Birthday!"

On my drive home from my visit today, I was thinking about how much money Rich and his wife Alison have had to come up with just for plane tickets. The first time they both came, this will be Rich's third trip.

I've decided to offer this collage "Wildflowers" which is being considered for fine art reproduction by Pier One Imports. ALL of the funds from the sale will go to Cherie's brother and his wife to help pay for plane tickets either to FL or to GA when Cherie gets into Shepherd Center for rehabilitation. There's a Colorado postage stamp included in there with Rich in mind.

Retail price on this piece is $495, I'm offering it online for $395 to anyone who wants to support a good cause, and buy a piece of art. I'm offering FREE shipping to anywhere in the US.

Wildflowers
12" x 16" (30.5cm x 40.7cm)
collage on Panel
$395 plus $0 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Cherie's Progress

I visited Cherie on Wednesday, as I do every week. I'm happy to say that she has art cards taped to her walls and had a great big smile on her face when she mouthed (she cannot speak due to the tracheotomy and the ventilator) "I am getting TONS of great cards, THANK YOU!" We had a great visit. I'm happy to report that she was in good spirits and looked much better than last week. She was smiling and "talking" to me for about an hour.

What more could you ask for? One card of note that was pinned up was my dear friend Robin Maria Pedrero's work in pastel. Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to send a Random Card of Kindness to Cherie, you are making her smile!

They have gotten her up into a wheelchair a couple of times and she's been able to sit and be disconnected from the ventilator for a few hours at a time. Shepherd Center in Atlanta has accepted her for rehabilitation after evaluating her in person last week. Now we just need to get a Medicaid approval for an extension of benefits (they limit the time in to 45 days, Cherie's accident was September 30 and she has been in ICU since) as well as an approval for FL state benefits to extend to GA. Shepherd Center is on of the best spinal cord rehabilitation facilities in the country. They will teach her how to adapt to her limitations with specialized equipment.

Please keep Cherie in your thoughts and keep the cards and notes coming!

Cherie's Progress

Cherie Stannard

I just wanted to update you and say thanks again for the outpouring of cards, letters, artwork, and hand made books that have come from my "art peeps" to Cherie's ICU room at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pearce, FL.

I visited Cherie again this past Wednesday and she told me that the notes and cards have really made a difference in brightening her day. Her Aunt Barbara is putting the return address of all on the back of what has been sent. Cherie wants to send a note to everyone and thank them for their thoughtfulness.

I think she has a lot of note writing ahead of her!

Many thanks again for keeping her in your thoughts. Please email me for the address if you wish to send a card, she is still in ICU and on a ventilator with a C5 spinal cord injury. She can feel being poked in two toes on one foot, which is great, but she still has no movement from her shoulders down. Her next step is to a rehabilitation facility (potentially in Tampa, FL) but she has to get off the ventilator and breathe on her own before she can make that next step.

Your kind words and thoughts mean so much in this very difficult time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart

Cherie's Progress

Friends forever: Barbara Beasley, Cherie Stannard, Yours Truly

Cherie has a brand new place where you can make TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations! Her uncle worked hard at finding out how to make the possible. She really still needs all the help she can get as she has no health insurance and is relying on Medicaid to pay her bills and they do NOT cover everything she needs.

Cherie and Yours Truly last February on her birthday

President Obama raised a record breaking amount of money for his campaign in $5 increments online. Can you give $5 to help an amazing woman in need?

As of late she has been making progress! She has been gaining strength in both arms and is finding she has more sensation in her right arm. She is able to keep herself up sitting straighter without the benefit of armrests and THIS IS HUGE! It means that the muscles in her torso are getting signals, which means her spinal cord is making pathways and her brain is getting the message. She is also getting tingling in her legs, which is also new. Physical therapy has helped this very much, but PT costs money and Medicaid does not cover all of it.

Here is the link, check it out for yourself and consider a small donation, forward to your family and friends. Do something good for a stranger today. It will make you feel good, I promise.

 http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/E209D2EA-B1F5-9953-49F117782A848AC7

Cherie's Progress

Today I met with the folks from the Global Peace Film Festival in Orlando. They are screening the film "Defining Beauty; Ms Wheelchair America" this year. I have agreed to donate artwork and graphic design for their collectible poster, and they have agreed to auction off two original pieces of Paper Paintings collage art through the festival. 50% of proceeds of the poster sales and the Dove artwork will go to Cherie, and 50% will go toward Global Peace.

Ironically when I got home from the meeting today, I had a wonderful note in my email box from Kerry Trementozzi who found my art online. This is a photo of Kerry, who became a quadriplegic at the age of 16. She told me that my blog posts about Cherie really moved her and she wanted to reach out to me as a fellow artist and she wanted to reach out to Cherie to give her some support. Kerry has been a quadriplegic for 30 years.

Kerry wrote such a wonderful note about her story and how important a positive attitude can be, I wanted to take a moment to share it with you:

When I look back when I was 1st injured I always feel - wow if me or my family could have talked to other people who have already gone through this it could have made it a little bit better. 

Cheri sounds like me, positive upbeat & never give up, not that it hasn' t been hard at times - I'm still paralized from chest down w/some arm & wrist movement but no finger movement. I always say take it one day at a time. There are good days & bad, the 1st few years are hard but it sounds like her family is there for her, I know that is so important.

The Book is HERE!

Cherie's book is finally ready to order! What a labor of love. 52 pages, hard cover. I have priced the book $12 above production costs from Blurb. This means that $12 of each book goes to Cherie's family and the rest of the price you pay is production costs. A quick update for those of you who are new to the story, Cherie is my life-long friend of 42 who rolled her Jeep in September and suffered a spinal cord injury. Cherie is currently in rehab in Atlanta and when she comes home, her brother and sister have to adapt a home and provide 24-hour care for her as she is paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Use coupon code CHEER for $10 off the book through December 31!!!

This book is raising money for a family in need, what better gift to get for someone special in your life?

Please help me to spread the word. Many thanks to the 40+ artists who donated images of their amazing work to make this book possible. Every artist has their own full page with an image and contact information. I have artists in the book from the UK, Spain, Singapore, Canada and the US!

Here is a preview of the book, and to order yours, just click on "Art with Heart by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson" at the lower left of the preview window.

Thanks to everyone who can help, from the bottom of my heart.

Art with Heart by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson | Make Your Own Book

Cherie's Book

sample book page ©St.Hilaire Nelson

The book is coming along great! I'm extending the deadline for submissions to December 8, Wednesday. To be included in this book, with all funds going to the family, this is what you need to submit

high resolution photo of your artwork (image 5-8MB)
medium and dimensions 
your city and state
your contact information
a blurb of text (optional)

Please email me by Friday! The book will be available on blurb.com and all proceeds will go to Cherie's family. For anyone new to this conversation, Cherie is a 42-year old woman who was paralyzed in an auto accident on September 30. She has no insurance and her brother and sister have committed to her care and safe keeping. They have to modify her sister's home to accommodate a wheelchair and other adaptive equipment. Cherie is paralyzed from the shoulders down. Please help this family in need by sharing a photo of your artwork and buying a copy of the book.

Now, any suggestions for a title? My working title is Art with Heart.

Art With Heart; Raising Money for Cherie

Le Marchet (The Market) / pastel / 16x12 / ©Margaret Dyer

Margaret Dyer, nationally know pastel artist who taught a workshop in France last year, has offered to put an original framed piece of her luxurious work up for auction with 100% of proceeds going to Cherie's family! This is an amazing opportunity because if you google Margaret, you will see just how much of an accomplished award winning artist she is. This art would be an AMAZING addition to any collection!

This piece would retail at $1500 in any of Margaret's galleries. She has agreed to donate 100% of the proceeds to Cherie's family for living expenses and adaptations to their home for when Cherie comes home in a wheelchair from Shepherd Center.

Please click to visit Margaret's blog

Please click here to bid on this painting

Miriam Saves the Day!

My Facebook friend and fellow artist Miriam Hughes commented on the blog post about Cherie today and gave me a FANTASTIC idea on how to raise money for Cherie's family.

Calling All Artists!
please consider donating a high resolution image of your artwork along with the title, the medium, dimensions, and your contact information to be published in a book professionally designed by me.

I will self publish the book on either blurb or lulu.com (which I use for my collage process book and I am happy and familiar with) and 100% of the proceeds will go to Cherie's sister to help her cover living expenses now that she has quit her job and will care for Cherie when she returns form Shepherd Center.

Email me your image or any questions about this project. In order to get it up and running for a Holiday Gift Idea, I need to make the deadline for entries December 10. I know this rules out creating original artwork in the them of caring, love, dedication and healing for most, but if you have something like that in your body of work, I'm interested!

Thanks for the Small Things

Cherie on a boat somewhere exotic!

Today I just want to post this email that I received from Cherie's sister last night. I wanted to remind myself and all of you, how thankful we should be every day for the little things in life we take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving. Cherie is getting settled in to Shepherd Center.  She has done well her first couple of days although she had been on the vent since she arrived mainly because of some secretions due to the transport and the need for the staff at Shepherd to do their own assessment of her.  She was up in her tailor made wheel chair today for a few hours and she said it was very comfortable.  They also started her on solid food and drink today!!!  She has not had nearly as many food requests as drink requests but this is very exciting!  We all shared chocolate cake tonight.  Tomorrow they will be moving her out of ICU and she will be able to get in her chair and tour around the halls a bit.  Rich and I are getting acclimated to our new surroundings as well.  We did take one of the family care lectures this morning.  It was good to get a chance to talk with a couple of the other families here.    The mailing address is the same as I had given in an earlier email: Cherie Stannard C/O Shepherd Center 2020 Peachtree Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Love, Sue

The Gallery recently moved into a new space

Many thanks to the Art Gallery of Viera for inviting me to judge this years annual juried exhibit. Yesterday morning I hit the highway around 8:30 am out of Orlando and headed South on 95 down the coast of FL about an hour until I arrived in Viera. It was really nice to see Susan, Helen, and Jerry again. 

Art Gallery of Viera hosted a Paper Paintings workshop about two years ago, it was a very well attended class and we had an excellent weekend. Ironically, Amanda from that class popped up in my Houston class again this year! You just never know...

The new gallery space is stunning, as is the plaza in which they are located

Jerry told me that this year they turned away 35 pieces and kept 48, much higher numbers than they had in last year's show, and the quality of the work represented this. 

I took my time looking at every piece individually and making notes on my favorites in no particular order. I revisited my favorites and intently considered what it was that I liked about each and every one of them, it's a very difficult decision to narrow things down.

some examples of the work in the show

As a juror and a viewer, it is impossible to disregard the personal experience and preference that you bring with you to a piece of art. I am someone who appreciates unique technique and bright colors, as a result, work of this genre is most interesting and appealing to me. I was drawn to the liberal use of color in some of the landscapes as well as the creativity of technique in some of the photos and mixed media pieces. Making art is much about honoring creativity, conceptual thinking, and technique; some of the most creative pieces in this show were the ones that pushed their medium and execution way outside of the typical “box.” 

Check out The Gallery online if you are in the area and are interested in showing your work or taking a class, this is a great group of people. 

I know who won, but I can't say anything! Winners will be announced on Sunday, stay tuned and in the mean time, visit the Gallery on Facebook.

After a nice lunch with Susan, I hit the road another hour South to visit Cherie in Vero Beach. Only to witness her in a STANDING FRAME upright and vertical. She's doing amazingly well and in her new room (she moved to a bigger house!) are framed Art Cards from her days in the spinal cord rehab center. For all of you who sent notes and cards, she still talks about how much it meant to her.

Cherie and I posing for the camera, pulled out all the family jewels this morning!

Learn more about Cherie's Story Here

Thank You
for being a part of my
Art Journey