Continuing in the tradition of mending with needle and thread, I stitch together layers of sheer fabric; painting an intimate picture of my healing journey. The twisting threads embedded into my work mirror the *spirochetes that have etched themselves into my body. I take note of how my body has changed, is changing, and replace fear with fascination as I trace lines of nerve pain down my arm all the way to my toes. Slowly I attempt to unravel these internal sensations, contextualizing them through the repetitious process of embroidery. Using reclaimed threads from my previous works and mixing them into paper pulp, I build a surface that becomes a representation of how the past can impact your present. The transparency of the material offers a doorway into the marks that were made in each individual layer through this intricate process. I reflect on the the levels of vulnerability I am willing to hold in different spaces, with different people. In my work I have taken down these barriers to allow for an honest conversation around the entirety of what lies beneath the surface. In sharing the personal experiences I have had dealing with chronic illness, I hope to hold space for those that want to share their own personal experiences but hold back out of fear of being met with stigma and judgement.

*A flexible spirally twisted bacterium