{"id":351,"date":"2023-11-22T16:05:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T06:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/magazine-dev\/?p=351"},"modified":"2024-03-02T22:04:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-02T12:34:11","slug":"waking-to-a-new-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/2023\/11\/waking-to-a-new-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Waking to a New Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-medium-font-size\">Maureen Cook went from worrying about how long she had to live to planning for a whole new life. It only took her 23 years. \u201cI only found out I had hepatitis C in 2000 when a diligent and insightful GP decided to test me for the virus after she discovered I had hepatitis B back in 1975. I\u2019d cleared the hep B then and didn\u2019t think about it anymore. Didn\u2019t know I had hep C,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell, when I got my hep C diagnosis, I started worrying about how long I would live for, and worried about passing the virus to other people. I\u2019d look at pictures of the virus and thought it looked really scary.\u201d Because there was no effective cure back then, Maureen looked into, and tried complementary therapies. \u201cI tried acupuncture, herbal remedies\u2026 with no results,\u201d she recounted. Then, in 2009 because she had liver cirrhosis, Maureen was put on Pegasus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat went horribly wrong \u2013 I almost died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She kept a visual diary during the first treatment but had to stop because she became too ill. She had ended up in intensive care for nine days with double pneumonia and septicemia. \u201cMy bone marrow had stopped producing the vital blood cells to fight the good fight for me. Remarkably I survived, after I was not expected to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e514635e089&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e514635e089\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Relief_web2.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The last painting \u2013 <strong>Relief<\/strong> \u2013 in Maureen\u2019s triptych depicts the terror, despair and relief of her Pegasus treatment experience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had to go to St Margaret\u2019s hospital to learn to walk again. My memory and comprehension was really bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2011, she began a series of five self-portraits documenting her difficult journey to recovery. She named the series <em>Waking the Dead<\/em>. In her artist statement for an exhibition where her this series was presented, she said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em><strong>Waking the Dead 1-5<\/strong> documents my struggle to be present in the world as my consciousness dragged itself to the surface \u2026 I had to relearn thinking, comprehending, remembering, doing to be able to stand up and walk again.<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Artist&#8217;s Statement &#8211; Maureen Cook <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was attending an art group in Stepney, learning painting. The artwork was my way of processing all that,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe series of five portraits was me coming back to life. It was almost like a spiritual experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015 she had a call from the Flinders Medical Centre offering her to be part of a trial of new direct acting antiviral drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe new treatment was different. The only side effect I had was insomnia. My asthma played up a bit, but it was manageable. I was able to continue to go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Life post-cure was\u2026 a tremendous relief. It was wonderful knowing that I\u2019m no longer infectious, able to pass the virus on to others.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For Maureen, the difference in life pre and post cure didn\u2019t relate much to how other people treated her, but more to how she felt about herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had internalised my stigma because I felt I was stupid \u2026 blaming myself. I thought, being a nurse, I should have taken more care. Now I\u2019m cured, I don\u2019t feel that self-blame anymore. I can put it all behind me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI hadn\u2019t encountered much stigma overtly, from others. Mostly support in fact. I discussed my hep C with friends and family when I was first diagnosed. They only gave me support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cInitially I chose not to disclose to my workplace that I had hep C. However, the Pegasus treatment went for 48 weeks which meant I had to take a year\u2019s leave without pay due to the severity of the side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven though the first treatment went horribly wrong, and I ended up in hospital for 10 weeks, the time off work and recovery really helped with my burn-out from work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter the horror of my first treatment, I had decided to take a positive attitude and accept that I had to learn to live with this chronic disease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e514635e6e1&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e514635e6e1\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/washing_up_web2.png\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><strong>Washing up on Shore<\/strong> \u2013 the storm is passing and clouds breaking open with the sunshine of a new day.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Life Post-Cure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLife post-cure was\u2026 a tremendous relief. It was wonderful knowing that I\u2019m no longer infectious, and not able to pass the virus on to others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A nurse for 47 years, 38 of them in mental health, Maureen continued working after clearing hepatitis C, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI took a couple of weeks off, and kept on taking more,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cThat\u2019s when I retired from nursing \u2013 in July 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a three-year hiatus, unwinding and reviewing her new life, she\u2019s ready to get back into work \u2013 not as a nurse but in other areas that draw on her lived experience and her relationship with art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>I was trained in acceptance and commitment therapy, and used that to give people skills to managing their own emotions and life challenges. Art was part of it\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a mental health nurse, I worked in many areas and in my last ten years, I was part of a SA Health community psycho-social rehabilitation team. We provided group programs on living skills, psycho-education, healthy living, fitness, recreation, youth programs, art, liaising with further education and community centres and many more activities. We also worked with the inpatient unit Cramond Clinic and an NGO return to work program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was trained in acceptance and commitment therapy, and I used that to teach people skills to manage their own emotions and life challenges. Art was an important part of rehab as a way of looking at the world, identities, and so on. The people I really enjoyed working with were the carers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cArt is a good way to help people process their experiences and emotions and being with yourself. A way to engage with people. A very good mindful exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Art is for Everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the three-year break, Maureen reviewed the paintings that she had done on her journey, and decided to set up a studio so she could paint more and run workshops from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She believes art is for everyone, not only those who are \u201cartistic\u201d in the conventional sense. \u201cIt can work for people who may not be usually interested in art,\u201d she explained. \u201cLike creating mandalas, for instance\u2026 it\u2019s a way to engage with people, get people motivated. It can also be an outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e514635eb9b&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e514635eb9b\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/maureen-easel-hires_3-cropd-web.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Maureen in her studio<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Maureen said looking at her artwork brought back difficult memories but also gave her direction for the next chapter of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEmotionally it was a really difficult time. Hep C was such a big part of my life for so long. and I didn\u2019t know for so long that I had it. Having access to the new treatment was really life-changing for me and clearing the virus was one of the best things that happened to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I look at the artwork it brings it all back and gives me a stronger resolve to make a contribution with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>View more of Maureen\u2019s artwork <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1aAOqhu9_iXxJqkIH8Hwk2UAM2t9gkz_O\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maureen Cook went from worrying about how long she had to live to planning for a whole new life. It only took her 23 years. \u201cI only found out I &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,13],"tags":[32,39,44],"issue":[91],"ppma_author":[56],"class_list":["post-351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-living-with-hepatitis","tag-hepatitis-c","tag-treatment","tag-art-therapy","issue-issue-100"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Waking to a New Life | HepSA Community News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/2023\/11\/waking-to-a-new-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Waking to a New Life | HepSA Community News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Maureen Cook went from worrying about how long she had to live to planning for a whole new life. It only took her 23 years. \u201cI only found out I &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/2023\/11\/waking-to-a-new-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HepSA Community News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HepatitisSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-22T06:35:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-02T12:34:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/waking-header-img-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cecilia Lim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" 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