(gentle music) - Multiple sclerosis has shaped how I create, why I create.

(gentle music continues) When I first saw my MRI in that neurology office, I'll never forget it, it was a fearful moment.

Later, I painted an abstract interpretation of my MRI.

(gentle music continues) When I finished it, I felt a lot better, and I felt like I could maybe digest things a little bit more the next day.

And it was something that I shared on my social media.

The National MS Society shared it on their channels, and it catapulted me into art.

(serene music continues) I've just painted my 399th brain.

(serene music continues) I've worked with people in almost every US state and about 14 countries.

(serene music continues) Hey.

- Hi.

- Good to see you.

Yeah, have a seat.

Sorry, there's Pyrenees hair.

- That's okay.

(both chuckle) - [Lindsey] Is this your most recent image?

- [Stephanie] It is the most recent.

- What are you hoping to see colorwise?

- I love gold and emerald, purple, teal, pink.

When I have my MRIs, because I'm claustrophobic, and they put that helmet on your head, and that's just terrifying.

So while I go in, I imagine that there's a octopus wrapped around my head, comforting me, and that has helped me with my anxiety.

So, you can have fun with that shape, if you want.

It was hard because my dad was also diagnosed with MS, and he passed away when he was 59.

So to get the diagnosis, it was scary, it was terrifying.

Thanks for having me.

The fact that I'm given a chance to turn this terrible disease into something beautiful, to give some sort of power back to myself, there's a lot of emotions with that.

(soulful music) - Alcohol ink, there's a lot, that's a surprise.

This is the making of octopus tentacles.

(soulful music continues) What I've just done here is cut out the lesions that are highlighted on Stephanie's MRI with a wood-burning pen.

And what I do next is probably my favorite part.

I'll line them in this gold ink.

It's the nod to Kintsugi, which is a process in Japan that repairs a broken ceramic vessel with gold lining the crack, basically highlighting the vessel's history and celebrating it, versus trying to hide it or tossing in the entire vessel away.

(soulful music continues) It feels like applying a balm to what we worry about most, which are the lesions showing up in our MRI.

(soulful music continues) My grandma was a seamstress.

I have put her thread on almost every single one of my artworks.

That's kind of my way of honoring her.

In addition to the MRI paintings being very heavy, heady emotionally, there's a lot of details that I recognize now are not going to be something that I'm going to be able to do indefinitely.

I do get a lot of joint stiffness, fatigue, cognitive fog.

Spasticity affects my fine motor ability.

MS can affect my vision in a way where it's almost like I'm looking through a torn tissue paper.

There's, occasionally, double vision.

(serene music) I've challenged myself to create with my eyes closed.

I just kind of have to be at peace with whatever I'm able to do on the day that I wake up on.

(serene music continues) Where I'm at in 2025, I'd say that I space out the amount of MRI paintings that I do.

(sweet music) I started a natural ink series this last summer.

(sweet music continues) This is a lot easier to work on.

Less detailed.

(sweet music continues) And it's something that I can see well on a good vision day, on a bad vision day, and it's turned into something that has been fun with my children, where they're telling me what shapes they're finding.

- And up there, there's an eye.

And then, over there, I see like a smiley face with one eye kind of thing.

(sweet music continues) - It felt triumphant to be able to do these really smooth, large shapes.

(sweet music continues) Before MS, I come from an administration and events background, and so, you know, it kind of is your role to take on everybody else's stress.

(sweet music continues) My joy is much better and bigger, pursuing a more creative path.

(car humming) (jazzy music) When people get my artwork, I think my favorite thing that has been shared is that waiting for it kind of feels like a holiday morning or a birthday.

(music continues) (door thumps) Because they're excited to see their MRI.

And we do not get that moment as a patient.

Hi.

(chuckles) - [Stephanie] Hi.

- [Lindsey] I got a painting for you.

- [Stephanie] Oh, wow.

- [Lindsey] New MRI.

- [Stephanie] That's phenomenal (emotional).

I love it.

I see the octopus.

- [Lindsey] Uh-huh.

- [Stephanie] Oh, wow.

- [Lindsey] I love the octopus so much.

I had so much fun with that.

- [Stephanie] Lindsey, this is stunning.

(sniffs) I feel like, I'm not alone.

(sniffs) It's just another step in my healing, a very, very beautiful step.

So I'm... obviously overwhelmed with gratitude and emotions, so.

(sniffs) I think I need a hug here.

(chuckles) - [Lindsey] Yes.

Hug!

- [Stephanie] I'm like lost for words.

- [Lindsey] Oh my gosh.

Of course.

It was my pleasure.

Oh my gosh.

- [Stephanie] It's amazing.

(door clicks) - [Lindsey] Hey, guys.

- Hey.

- Welcome home.

How was school today?

- It was good.

- It was good.

Hey, you.

(tender music) MS really refocused what is most important to me, and that is having energy for my young, growing family, and for things that feed my soul.

(tender music continues) (music slows) (music ends)