I am a single mom of three amazing kids and work as a nurse in organ donation. Last summer I purchased my home and discovered that woodworking was my perfect therapy. After doing some simple projects I decided I wanted to build a much needed pantry for my kitchen. On superbowl Sunday I made my way to Lowes and loaded up oak plywood by myself (because I am woman hear me roar) onto a cart and excitedly checked out. That day I worked in a frenzy to get as far as I could until game time. As I sat and watched the game with my kiddos I noticed my neck was killing me. I put heat on it, rubbed some icy hot on it, and drank a beer. I worked Monday and was on the road all day with a heating pad on my neck, by Tuesday I ended up in the ER and was diagnosed with a dissected vertebral artery, a fluke from tweaking my neck just the wrong way lifting that oak plywood... Lucky to be alive as many people die of a massive stroke without even realizing what happened, I started my long road to recovery, no lifting anything greater than 10 lbs, no work, no driving, no looking up. That pantry sat in my shop taunting me. I still needed to build and install the doors, stain, and seal the thing. About 3 months into recovery I ventured out to the shop after talking to my physical therapist agreed that some sanding would be good therapy if I took it slow! With the assistance of my boyfriend (doing the heavy lifting and staining the top) I finally finished the pantry that changed my life. Some folks have asked if I am giving up woodworking due to this, heck no! I think this was a message from the universe for me to slow down a little bit.
I am a single mom of three amazing kids and work as a nurse in organ donation. Last summer I purchased my home and discovered that woodworking was my perfect therapy. After doing some simple projects I decided I wanted to build a much needed pantry for my kitchen. On superbowl Sunday I made my way to Lowes and loaded up oak plywood by myself (because I am woman hear me roar) onto a cart and excitedly checked out. That day I worked in a frenzy to get as far as I could until game time. As I sat and watched the game with my kiddos I noticed my neck was killing me. I put heat on it, rubbed some icy hot on it, and drank a beer. I worked Monday and was on the road all day with a heating pad on my neck, by Tuesday I ended up in the ER and was diagnosed with a dissected vertebral artery, a fluke from tweaking my neck just the wrong way lifting that oak plywood... Lucky to be alive as many people die of a massive stroke without even realizing what happened, I started my long road to recovery, no lifting anything greater than 10 lbs, no work, no driving, no looking up. That pantry sat in my shop taunting me. I still needed to build and install the doors, stain, and seal the thing. About 3 months into recovery I ventured out to the shop after talking to my physical therapist agreed that some sanding would be good therapy if I took it slow! With the assistance of my boyfriend (doing the heavy lifting and staining the top) I finally finished the pantry that changed my life. Some folks have asked if I am giving up woodworking due to this, heck no! I think this was a message from the universe for me to slow down a little bit.
