Name
Lindsay K Robinson

Brain Tumor Type
Craniopharyngioma

Date of Diagnosis
1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2009

Participant Group
Brain Tumor Survivor / 21 and over

Category
Creative Writing

Artist Statement (include type of art, techniques & materials used, what it means to you)
The birth of this poem took place on a hard day. If you can imagine, one of those days when survivors of brain tumors and other chronic conditions are wrestling with thoughts of "when will this shift?", "can my body keep going like this?", or "when will my spirit return?". Those days, and any and every hour within, can be lonely. My visualization of stained glass or fragmented glass as a representative of my sharp emotions and experiences were the inspiration for this piece. The idea of fragments here are meant to represent that fractions of circumstance, challenge, frailty of our bodies, brokenness of spirit and critical and sharp segments of our thinking and being (mind) are something that survivors carry, always.

Artist Bio: Tell Us Your Story
I am a grateful and humble five time brain tumor survivor, or sur5vor as I like to say. My first diagnosis at age four changed the trajectory of my life and at an age where I knew now different than living through what life required of me; MRIs, surgeries, medications, visual limitations, and more. My tumors at age 4, 8, 10, 15 and 25 transformed my outlook on life and living and through grit, grace, and the fortune of an amazing family and medical care I am able to share my story. After significant hardships following radiation in 2012 I started leaning into the arts as a source of strength, including music, writing, and photography. What I have learned is that no one will ever know the complete darkness or light of the life I live but at a minimum perhaps they can draw inspiration from me or what I am able to share with this world. I am currently 42 years old and living in Annapolis, MD.