Invisible

In 2016, at the age of sixteen, I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This moment was the beginning of my journey with chronic illness. POTS consumed my daily life and made what had once been simple tasks almost impossible. I spent the remainder of school managing my illness and getting back on my feet.

Like many chronic illnesses, POTS is invisible and can be difficult for people to understand. If people can't see it, then believing in the reality of an unseen illness can be challenging. It was this phenomenon that sparked my Invisible series. This series of paintings centers around my feelings and experience living with a faulty autonomic nervous system and high heart rate. POTS symptoms often include feelings of lightheadedness, exhaustion, high heart rate, and fatigue. But like the illness itself, these symptoms are invisible to the observer. Although these paintings are about my struggle with POTS, others may see in them their own silent struggles. If so, then I have achieved my goal of affirming the truth and experiences of people who live with invisible illnesses.