THE undeniable gap between life before and after a life-changing brain injury can be hard to put into words. For those who have lived through such a harrowing experience, art can have the power to carry the kind of meaning that words fail to capture.
That was one of the powerful lessons learned by those who came to the Brainbow art exhibition at the Hunt Museum, featuring works by service users at Headway Limerick – the local branch of the national organisation helping people and families affected by acquired brain injuries and strokes.
Wayne Leamy and Tony Lowe, two long-time Headway service users, spoke to the Limerick Post about the unique theme of the Brainbow exhibition — life before and after a critical brain injury — as well as their own life experiences.
Works at the exhibition were as varied and colourful as the many Headway service users who contributed. Many showed a divided brain, one half representing life before injury and the other what comes after.
For Wayne Leamy, whose stroke left a lasting impact on his motor skills, creating art was a way of reclaiming control. Though it didn’t come without its physical challenges.
“Drawing a straight line is impossible. But it’ll still look okay on paper,” Wayne confessed, adding that while his stroke brought on many limiting factors, it didn’t take away from his artwork or his enthusiasm in creating it.
Wayne’s journey to rediscovering art was marked by profound emotional and physical challenges. He told the Limerick Post that he felt adrift following the traumatic life-changing experience.
“Before my stroke, my life was all roses . . . When I was in the hospital, I wanted to die . . . I was a coffin out in the middle of the sea, floating in the sea,” he recalls.
However, he worked through his physical and mental obstacles with the help of fellow Headway services users and staff. He said that the creative outlet of taking part in the Brainbow exhibition was significant.
One half of Headway service user Tony Lowe’s Brainbow artwork showed his beloved dog, Lance, as a symbol of his life before his stroke. The opposite side, life after, he chose to leave blank.
After spending nearly 15 years at Headway, Tony says he found new passions and ways of engaging with the world. Today, he enjoys singing, and says he rushed back to Headway following the launch of the Brainbow exhibition to take part in the weekly musical activities.
“I love coming in on Thursday, with the music, and I love singing myself,” he said.
He shared that Headway service users also gather weekly to read the Limerick Post, choosing a story to discuss and keep up with the goings-on across the county.
For both Tony Lowe and Wayne Leamy, the process of rebuilding their lives has been supported by Headway’s community-driven services, even though they feel awareness of the organisation remains limited.
“In Limerick, other people don’t even know about Headway. The only way somebody finds out about this place is if something happens to them,” Wayne shares.
Headway Limerick is located on Upper William Street and provides support and services for people with an acquired brain injury – often brought on by a stroke, a bleed in the brain, an infection or tumour, or a fall. The service uses a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting people and their families in their recovery, helping improve quality of life and independence.
Adriana de la Morena, events and exhibitions assistant at the Hunt Museum, highlighted the rehabilitative value of the creative project, and the deep connection the Headway artists had with their own works.
“It was lovely the moment they saw their pieces hung in and sharing their feelings about their artwork and to process all that,” she said.
