BROWN SEQUARD SYNDROME AWARENESS
Blog, paintings and photo by:
Katherine Lily Mae Harris
We are the people who were hit, shot, stabbed or slammed in the spine-but to one side. Our injury is perplexing, especially when we are filled with adrenaline at the time it occurs-such as, but not limited to, WAR, DOMESTIC ASSAULT (mine caused by blunt force trauma to my T7-10) GANG VIOLENCE, POLICE active duty and SPORTS injuries.
Often times we stay AMBULATORY, but we are still susceptible to AUTONOMIC DYSREFLEXIA-
If we go do too much physically or allow our body to become unaligned, we often walk like a sloth, 
t-Rex 
or pirate 
. Sometimes we walk until we fall down. We still require ambulatory devices sometimes, especially when trying to avoid drop foot.
As a woman who took stairs two at a time in heels, was incredibly active and a non performing athlete, as well as, walked on my toes a lot, this injury impacted me in strange ways,
It even caused me to look like a robot 
sometimes……
Studies are still being done on brown sequard and spinal cord injury, in general-we can all be affected differently.
I am a warrior! So too are all of us struggling with different levels of sci. This is our mind and body connection.
This affects our inner organ health.
Typically sci patients die of secondary disorders, not the injury itself. Lung and respiratory issues, inner organ damage or infection-
My blog of the week link below.
#dance #dancer #brownsequardsyndrome
#yesod #art #artist #artwork #domesticviolencesurvivor #sci #ambulatory #arttherapy #awareness #truth #woman #life #freedom #dancing #bellydancer #
# # # # #
#autonomicdysreflexia #thorocolumbarradioculopathy #
#
#proud #warrior
I’m so proud of myself. I’ve really been strong during this and been a great advocate for myself and the truth
In my first painting featured called
‘The Sufi way’
It depicts many observances when looking closely. One of which I noticed as I worked on it more, the likeness to spine and where I was injured-thoracic T7-10 seemed to be sprouting blood (in the painting and in my body)
I was participating in Sufi practices with the Toronto Sufi group from April 2021 until September of 2023.
I was desperate to heal and also participated in many workshops with Zorba the Buddha, where I stayed upon arriving in India 2015.
One was on Sufi spinning.
I used to spin 45 minutes a day and then stop and go to work at the daycare, trying to heal. I was dying of autonomic dysreflexia without knowing what it was called. When I would Sufi spin after about 10 minutes I felt so relieved.
I didn’t understand my injury fully and it took a while to find the balance needed to stay alive-literally.
The goal is not to be normal now, but to be adapted and able to be a part of society. This means adaptive devices and will help prevent losing consciousness from AD.
My second painting ‘Reflections’
Is about the Spirit and conscious reflection.
It is a representation of a meditation I did in August of 2014 involving the jade dragon.
This would represent the spheres of
Binah and Chokmah
In the Kabbalah
