Shauna’s Story
Letting creativity soar:
“I’ve learned a lot about different types of art. There are things I wouldn’t have heard of before, but then I try them and discover I love them.”
Leah’s Story
When a picture says a thousand words:
“People with long term conditions can often be dismissed or overlooked. But at Helium, nobody sees the disability. They are interested in the person, and helping them become a better artist.”
Katie-Jean’s Story
Crafting with Confidence:
“It made me feel included. Knowing that other people have similar health issues, and that I wasn’t alone.”
Franciszek’s Story
Creating possibilities:
“Every workshop was good. The coordinator was always coming with new ideas I’d never thought of before. I would go every chance I could. Instead of just sticking to sketching and painting, it opened me up to different styles. Anything that was 3D and involved making something with your hands was great.”
Ruth’s Story
Finding Freedom Through Art:
Isolation and anxiety have been the biggest struggles in recent years for Ruth, who has spina bifida hydrocephalus and scoliosis, and is paralysed from the waist down…
Barbara’s Story
Creating moments of calm:
“Not everybody is going through the same things as me,” Barbara explains. “But they’re all going through something.”
Leah, Ellie and Amelia’s Story
No-one can remember when Helium became an excuse for a day out, but they’re glad it did. For sisters Ellie and Leah, the creative arts workshops and camps were a great way to squeeze in a few extra hours with their new best friend, Amelia. For their mums, Helium was a chance to catch-up, take a breath, and just ‘be’…
Tom’s Story
Allergies were part of Tom’s* life from Day 1. First it was breastmilk, but that was just the start of his journey. The list got longer and the reactions more severe. His mum will never forget how it felt to watch her son go into anaphylactic shock. It was his first birthday. He had an allergic reaction to the cake.
DJ’s Story
There aren’t many 8 year olds who know the words ‘Bardet-Biedl Syndrome’. DJ does. They are the reason he has so many seizures, and why the doctors keep testing his eyes. He knows he is going blind. But it was a long time before he was able to say the words out loud.
Paul’s Story
Spinning confidence and creativity with Helium Arts. Paul didn’t know you could use a salad spinner to paint pictures. He dripped in the colours, put on the lid, and gave it three spins. It was amazing! Paint splatters and patterns danced across his paper plate. He was definitely taking this one home to show mum.
Saoirse’s story
A creative flair that lit up lockdown. Saoirse clicked refresh one more time. She couldn’t wait. It was Sunday, and that meant a new art project was about to hit the family inbox. She had loved everything Helium Arts had sent so far, but dressing up as a milkmaid was a definite highlight. Her mum, Sheila, thought it was hilarious – watching her and her sister get the angle of Vermeer’s jug exactly right.
Jack’s Story
Sinead tried to listen, to take it all in. She felt numb with grief. Grief for the future she had imagined for her new family. Grief for the baby whose life would be over almost as soon as it began. Even if they went for open-heart surgery, she knew the odds would be against them.
Sophia’s Story
Sophia is 14. This year Sophia participated in a Helium Arts’ project, bringing together a group of teenagers over the course of 2018 for artmaking workshops in partnership with Epilepsy Ireland. The group Sophia worked with all have epilepsy, many with additional needs. They called themselves Electric Feathers. We talked to Sophia’s mother Sharon who told us how getting involved in Helium’s project helped her daughter.
Aisling’s Story
Redefining diabetes. Aisling held out the beaker for more. It had only taken a few minutes to drain it dry, but she was still so thirsty. Her mum looked down at the empty cup in her two-year-old daughter’s hands. All the signs were there. This wasn’t a bed-time delaying tactic. Her perfect little girl had Type 1 diabetes.
Shannon’s Story
At the age of eight, Shannon had her first seizure. Since then, Shannon has experienced the difficulties of living with a chronic illness while trying to going about her everyday life. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. She describes her seizures as the ‘funny feelings’.
Lauren’s Story
In an instant, Lauren went from being a normal kid to having to go to the hospital three times a week for dialysis. It all started in February 2013. Lauren hadn’t been feeling very well for a few months and her family decided to take her to the doctor. The next day she was diagnosed with renal failure and put on an organ transplant waiting list. While waiting for a kidney transplant, Lauren had to travel to the hospital every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for dialysis, which meant she didn’t attend a full week of school for 15 months.
Ailís’s Story
In 2017, Helium Arts’ Pop Up Picnic visited family homes in Kildare, bringing a sprinkling of joy, creativity and play to young children with complex needs. One of those children was Ailís, who was born with a rare genetic disorder and has both complex intellectual and physical needs. Through the project, Ailís had the opportunity to enjoy multi-sensory performances while bonding with her mother, Eithne.
Stephen’s Story
Stephen enjoyed his day-to-day life like every child, until he got his first seizure at 13 years old. A short while later, he experienced a second seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. Stephen had been bullied by other children before his diagnosis and he found it hard to be open about his condition because it made the bullying worse.