First things first; Hello. I am still alive.

I wound up suffering a small stroke/TIA event in June in addition to being in a near constant state of flare that even chemotherapy medication is not touching. They're still trying to figure out what it is that has all of my levels in such a toxic state of upheval, but don't believe the stroke was related. In fact, they believe the stroke was related to an old TBI (traumatic brain injury) I incurred a little over 9 years ago that left me with a massive concussion and small brain bleed. There's a possibility there was a teensy clot and it moved and when it moved it triggered this event since this event is precariously close to where the TBI occured.

I am able to type and think just fine - but when it comes to making my thoughts verbal, things get a little tricky and there's a lot of pauses and fumbling because it's like my mouth just refuses to sync with my brain.

Hand eye coordination is a little rough as well, and then there's the fact the entire left side of my body is still quite weak compared to the right side. Got to love that. At least the weird drooping/swelling has remedied for the most part. It was pretty heinous.

I want to really thank  Dream_Merchant and  Takom13 for being there for me through this insanity. They were the first people I alerted and they have stuck with me through thick and thin. The encouragement and cheerleading to get well and beat this crap has been unreal. There's A LOT more people I need to thank, and I absolutely will as I go along. You guys are the real MVPs, and I don't know if I'd still be walking this planet if it wasn't for all of you.

So yeah... That's what's going on in Calima land. Expect new art as I use it as therapy and much of it will be in the form of finished commissions and gift art and just random doodles as I explore life in this new way and wrangle my hand and eyes back in sync once again.

Love always,
Calima

PS: A bunch of older sketches (and some new concepts) will be thrown out as YCH Collaborations with  Dream_Merchant who will be bringing them to life with her insanely amazing coloring style. Check out her account for a chance to grab something special! All proceeds on my end will be going to medical bills for me and a rescue horse I brought in because she and I are broken and healing together. We'll use "Bay Madame" as her code name for the sake of internet anonymity. Bay Madame is 150lbs under weight and is laminitic in her front feet and requiring special poured pads and shoes in order to start to heal. Right now she's moderately comfortable, but you can tell that walking isn't her favorite thing. She's currently hanging out with my junior mare and they seem to have become fast friends. It warms my heart to see them happy and safe.