Pain & Joy

This is the face of someone who has just been discharged from hospital and narrowly avoided an operation.* This is the face of someone who is loved and cared for by a lot of incredible friends. This is also the face of someone dealing with incurable excruciating pain without painkillers, it is the face of someone who misses their mum, it is the face of someone who is so close to being done.

Pain exists at the same time as joy. There is never one without the other. They sit side by side and sometimes they coincide and on difficult days they collide.

This is my face, and I find it remarkable how many marks it is missing, considering all those collisions.

*This turned out to be more medical gaslighting and led to me almost dying and having an emergency operation! Yay!