Check out these illustrations of our Season two guests!
These illustrations were kindly done for Rarely Heard on a voluntary basis by Maryna Kolochavina, PharmD, PhD, PMP and Director of the Five Voices Consortium, Ltd.
Maryna says:
We know that art relieves anxiety, stress, and depression. There is a growing body of evidence that art can help maintain our health, aid our recovery from illness, and enable us to live longer, healthier lives. Art influences the way we think and the way we feel. As a patient advocate, I meet many people affected by rare and orphan conditions. Some are at the beginning of their patient journey. Others are newly diagnosed children, or parents of a rare disease patient who would like a second child but fear that the new baby might also be impacted.
“My art shows people affected by rare and orphan diseases in everyday situations – living life to the fullest with their families. My paintings show the joys of family life – an adult playing with a child, brothers and sisters laughing together, or the miracle of being pregnant. My goal for these paintings is to empower patients and their families to share their everyday experiences with others. This does not deny the reality of the disease but rather emphasizes the full humanity of the person with rare condition – and the fact that, as with all of us, the art actually exists within them.”
Still others are patients who are on a long odyssey toward a diagnosis, or who have no available treatment options. All have one thing in common: a laser focus on their particular rare disease. However, each person is much more than his or her condition. Realising this fact was the moment of my epiphany – and I started to paint.