Dancing Into the Future

As president of her local Horseshoe Seniors Dance Club, hardly a day goes by when Patricia isn’t planning. One month, she’ll be planning a sock hop. The next, it could be ensuring the music and ballroom are ready for waltzing. Retired and without many family members nearby, art and creativity keep her engaged in her Altoona, Pennsylvania, community.

“We have a lot of fun times,” Patricia said. “I’ve made a lot of really nice friends here.”

During her working years, Patricia was more focused on her career. But her creative gears roared back to life about 15 years ago when Patricia was watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah asked the audience, “What did that little girl in you always want to do?” and Patricia immediately thought back to her childhood in Philadelphia and the fun she had painting Christmas scenes, Rudolph, and more on her neighbor’s windows. With that, Patricia picked up art books and got to work.

“When my brush hit the water and the paint, there was no going back,” she said.

For many years, Patricia painted while also living with CREST syndrome, a rare skin condition. As she received treatment for her CREST symptoms, her pulmonologist discovered she was also living with pulmonary hypertension. The shock of being diagnosed with a second rare condition was amplified when she saw the cost of her treatment — far more than her retirement income.

“It was $4,000 for my treatment,” Patricia said. “It’s craziness!”

For a few years, Patricia received help accessing her treatment through a nonprofit organization. When it was no longer able to help her, Patricia turned to The Assistance Fund’s (TAF’s) Pulmonary Hypertension Copay Assistance Program in 2017. From copays to deductibles and coinsurance, the financial assistance Patricia receives from TAF covers her out-of-pocket costs for the FDA-approved treatment she needs to manage her pulmonary hypertension.

“Doctors told me I had six months to live,” Patricia said. “I knew I had to have that medicine.”

The treatment allows Patricia to keep painting artwork like her winning submission to TAF’s 2023 patient art contest. Though she said she loves doing collages and mixed media, Patricia’s talents for acrylic colors and textures shine through in her depiction of two cranes under a starlit sky.

“I love the beauty of the cranes,” she said. “It does tell a story.”

These days, Patricia continues to paint all kinds of scenery while seated in front of the large windows in her apartment. With monthly dance nights and the sound of trains going by, she has inspiration all around. Painting, she said, helps her manage living with two rare conditions.

“The pain does not seem so bad when I’m lost in my paintings,” she said. “It’s good for the soul.”