How Art Heals-WEB

23 10. Margaret Blank WWW.MARGARETBLANK.COM ALBERTA, CANADA Margaret created the installation Mark on the Body after the death of her husband from type 1 diabetes (T1D). It consists of four elements: a quilted hanging, a collection of stitched squares prepared by volunteers, a set of nine stump socks knit by Margaret and volunteers, and a book written by Margaret. “I put my grief, anger, and frustration into Mark on the Body . At the time I began it—fall 2013—my husband had been dead for seven years, but I was still very much caught up in the frustration I experienced when trying to get the message across, especially to those involved in treatment and research, of how painful it was, not just for the person with T1D, but also for those who loved and lived with that person, day in and day out, as the disease killed them by inches and after a long period of time. I was frus- trated with the ignorance surrounding T1D, equating it with the more common type 2 form, which can be brought under control by diet, weight loss, and oral medication. T1D, on the other hand, is an autoimmune dis- order in which the pancreas ceases to produce insulin; diet and exercise are important, but there is only one initial remedy: insulin by injection. “Howard’s death opened the door of a dark tunnel through which I walked for the past ten years of his life. I call it the Lost Decade. In 2008, I left the city for a rural hamlet to recover, to figure out who I was without him, and to find healing by making art with fabric and thread.” Inspired by the work of Margie Davidson and Judy Martin, the light began to dawn. I could use stitched marks to re-create the marks on my husband from T1D and so create a piece that would both illustrate the impact of the disease and honor those living with it, as well as those who love and care for them.