Francine grows African violets
Francine is passionate about plants and cats. Trained as an illustrator and computer graphics designer, she was diagnosed with a severe form of Myasthenia Gravis in August 2001. No longer able to hold down a full-time outside job, she now shares her spare time and energy by volunteering her computer skills for various organizations such as the RQMO. She enjoys drawing, and occasionally makes jewelry and takes photographs.
In 2007, after several complaints of sometimes unbearable pain over a number of years, she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia. What Francine finds most difficult to cope with in these two chronic illnesses is not so much the physical suffering, although that’s hard enough to bear, but above all the incredible lack of compassion and understanding on the part of the medical community. There’s also the way people look at it and the judgments they make, sometimes implacable, without even knowing what it’s all about.
That’s why, two years ago, an idea sprang to mind. A large-scale project bringing together artists from different backgrounds, affected by a rare disease, to present an art exhibition and raise funds for research into these forgotten illnesses. A little hope for these equally forgotten people.
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