A new art show is not only offering paintings and jewellery, but some new beginnings for the ones opening it as well.
For 49-year-old silversmith and rhabdomyolysis survivor, Monica Rusch this is the opportunity to test her physical limitations by co-running the new art gallery with her mother Arvie Shiel on April 1.
ìI think she wants to see what my limitations are in a nine-to-five situation,î said Rusch. ìItís scary but at this stage of the game something has to happen. Sink or swim you know? But you have to have something in your life or you become nothing.î
In January 2015, Rusch found herself unable to move after she had awoken in her Pennsylvania home. When she went to the hospital, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a disease that causes the breakdown of muscle tissue releasing the muscle fibers in the blood. The fibers affect the kidneys, as well.
ìMy muscles had been so destroyed by the disease, that it was like a baby learning how to do everything all over again. And I didnít really have any care when I was home.î
When Shiel heard what had happened to her daughter, she rushed down to Pennsylvania to help take care of her.
ìIf it hadnít had been for my mom, I doubt highly that Iíd be alive today,î Rusch said. ìShe really sacrificed everything, and she always does for her kids, but she really went above and beyond.î
Being physically unable to work, Rusch had to close down her independent jewellery shop and move back to Athabasca with her mother in May.
ìI was walking, but I didnít have the strength to be well,î Rusch said. ìIt may never come back fully, like Iíll be tired easy and an eight-hour day in an office may not ever happen again. That wasnít an option for me.î
Rusch was helping her mother find different ways showcase and sell some of their art work. When they finally found a place in to rent in Athabasca on March 1, Shiel jumped to the opportunity to bring her daughter into the mix.
ìShe was kind of getting depressed, because her healing wasnít going as fast as she wanted it to, and sheís too talented to just lay around,í Shiel said. ìI thought if I opened this for one month and see how she can handle it physically, then it might give her a big boost.î
ìShe just took the idea and just ran with it,î Rusch said. ìKnowing full well what she wanted to do, so she asked ëWhy donít you sell some of your jewellery?í I just got wrapped up in it with her.î
Come April 30, Rusch will at least know how she physically feels going back into a steadier work environment, and to showcase her one-of-a-kind silver jewellery that she has been making in her home.
ìThis was a really good way for me to get interactive with something instead of always being at home,î Rusch said. ìI like it here, I like my privacy, but sometimes that can lead to you shutting the world out and she doesnít want to see me do that.î
ìItís one month only, so itís going to tell us a lot,î she added. ìCan she handle it full time? Can I handle it full time? What are my limitations going to be? Because theyíre definitely going to be there. But Iím kind of happy for that, because even if I donít feel well, Iím going to go anyway, because thatís what I need to do ñ maybe thatís how I need to approach it.î
