When I had Tuberculosis, I tried so hard to think what to do, whether being creative or just existing day-to-day, I was physically and emotionally drained and overwhelmed with pain. It was incredibly difficult to do anything, even my mind was exhausted, it was hard to even talk about what I was going through, to know what to say, if I could or to even have an everyday conversation. One thing that came out of this period was to go back to my body language. If I couldn't put it into words for myself, maybe my body could say something. The day before I finally got diagnosed, I pretty much spent the day on the floor by the phone, unable to move, struggling to breath, scared and alone. I didn't know who to call, what to say. So once I eventually had my diagnosis and had the support I needed I tried to capture myself stuck on that floor. How do we process these moments of trauma and isolation?




Having previously worked in two full-on jobs with a busy social life, I'd been optimistic about my future. Now I felt completely stripped of any identity and hope. Unable to do much, physically or mentally, the TB had become my life. I couldn't express myself, I couldn't escape it.