In Learning to Use Her Left Hand Following a Stroke 60-Year Old Chen Lie Discovers She’s an Expert Painter

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At age 60, Chen Lie suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that came “without my invitation or permission.” But the temporary paralysis of his entire right side gave him a chance to flourish on his left side.

Without invitation or expectation, a surprising new ability would change his life.

As part of her recovery, she had to relearn how to do everything from brushing her teeth to using a fork or pen with her left hand, causing a lot of frustration.

One day, in a fit of boredom, and for the first time in his life, he took one of his grandson’s brushes and began to put color on the canvas. Happiness washed over Chen when he was suddenly able to paint beautiful natural landscapes, even though he had never painted or practiced a day in his life.

“I’ve never picked up the brush before,” Chen said. Good News Network. “I had nothing else to do, so I took the brush and tried to put the color on the paper.”

Brush stroke

After his stroke in 2017, Chen completed hospital therapy in Texas before moving to New York to enroll in an experimental robot-assisted therapy program at the Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research on Long Island in late 2018.

The robotic arm essentially allowed Chen to complete many more reps in physical therapy than would be possible without it, allowing him to regain faster movement.

“Every time we recover something [during rehab] we would tell them the good news, ”Chen said. “They thought it was wonderful that I could do something like paint.”

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Chen, whose favorite painters include America’s beloved. Bob ross“You have completed a whopping 500 paintings to date.” During the month of May, which is National Stroke Awareness Month, she is painting one every day and posting a photo of it on her professional artist / activist Facebook page, Stroke of hope, to help raise awareness.

“Actually, at first I just put the colors on the canvas and then the more I did it, the more I read about how to paint, I read about color; it’s a lot of research for me, ”says Chen, who considers it something of an occupation right now.

“I have acquired a lot of knowledge, so in addition to painting by hand, the brain continues to think; that’s good for stroke [victims] not letting the brain rest; keep thinking; keep looking for knowledge. “

A stroke of hope

The influence of Bob Ross is there to see in a professional video his family made telling their story, as she uses “the old fan brush,” as the gentle man used to say, to effortlessly paint snow-covered evergreens. .

The first post he made on Facebook was of a picture of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico City, which he described as “the top of my travel list.”

“I had never seen her paint,” says Liana, Chen’s daughter. “Growing up, she was always busy working, I didn’t even see her have a minute to do her hobbies. And now, after the stroke, it’s nice to see her do something she loves. “

“It’s like a job for her! You will sit early in the morning, five days a week, the dedication is so real and so strong that you will sit in the morning, take a [lunch] rest, rest a bit and do it again, ”he told GNN.

Stroke Awareness Oregon had contacted the family to see if some of their paintings could be auctioned off to raise money for rapid response and awareness programs for stroke victims in the state.

“It goes to a good cause, which is Mom’s dream of the Stroke of Hope, to really get the word out that it doesn’t end once you have the stroke.” Liana said.

LOOK their inspiring stories and see some paintings …