Abigail Barry has gone from barely being able to draw lines together in order to create stick figures, to becoming a prolific painter who spends hours each of her days creating works of art for her friends and family.
"I am utterly amazed whenever I paint something that I think is good." - Abigail Barry
Five years ago, doctors found a tumor in her brain that was pushing up on her pituitary gland, and then recently doctors also found a second mass in her brain growing close to the first. Though the tumors are non-cancerous, she still deals with fatigue, memory loss and terrible headaches. Abigail also finds that her speech and sight can be hampered from time-to-time.
Abigail has a theory that her newfound artistic abilities are directly related to her brain tumors. There is a relatively unknown condition where brain maladies end up affecting the parts of the brain that control creativity.
Abigail only decided to take up painting after she was encouraged to do so by her young daughter, and she has been wildly surprised by the results of that simple suggestion.
Abigail used to sell her paintings on the open market, but now she simply enjoys the pleasure of passing them along to her friends and family, free of charge.
"It really makes me happy, it makes me feel useful, and as others seem to like my work, I love making them happy," says Abigail.