Resting Isn't lazy

Written By Regina Sën

Near the beginning of April 2020, when businesses, homes, and cities across the world were shuttering down, Wren made preparations to travel across the country to West Linn, Oregon. She left everything behind—her clothes, furniture, a collection of shoes that had gathered dust from years of unuse—traveling all the way from Iowa to Oregon with nothing but a glimmer of hope that she might finally get better.

 

Regina Sën prepared carefully for her arrival. Once an accomplished CPA, Lyme Disease and horrific migraines took away over twelve years of her life, and it was only after a stranger from Arizona, Emily Gardner, came to support her and do chores that put her in torture that she improved. Now, she planned to do the same for Wren in her daylight basement, which she joyfully calls “Emily’s Place”. 

Wren had been debilitated by Lyme accompanied intractable pain from a spinal injury, just after receiving her PHD in Communications and Women's Studies.
 

From the moment Wren decided to travel to Regina’s, she began to change. When Ween became ill, some of the people closest to her treated her with contempt, causing her to become a shadow of her former self. Though she initially didn’t believe she could even fly to Oregon, she ended up driving cross-country through tremors, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. A few weeks earlier, she faced homelessness and was prepared to end to her life, but now she quoted Alexander Pope in saying, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” 

Within months of rest, Wren’s vibrant personality, wit, and intelligence began to return. Though she still needs to go through treatment to heal  from the torture of Lyme, she finally has hope and the support she needs to make that grueling process possible. 

Emotional neglect, or worse, is far too common in these situations. Most families are not prepared for the challenges of a neurological disease, and Regina wants to change that. Visit emilysplacetheone.org/home to learn more.

~Photo by Phil Koch~