‘Double blessing’ – former patient creates and shares coloring sheets for patients, staff
Art helps to cope, adds enjoyment to visits at our Princeton clinic and hospital.
Sheryll Kjos recently came to our Princeton Clinic as a physical therapy patient. Now, she’s the one providing therapy — of a different kind — to our patients and staff.
Kjos practices a unique form of drawing called the Zentangle Method, which she discovered in 2013 during a period of intense emotional stress related to caring for her aging parents. Zentangle helped her cope.
Zentangle drawings are made up of repeated lines, dots, curves, and circles, simplifying the drawing process, encouraging mindfulness, and absorbing any “mistakes” by including them in the overall image. To make the drawings, Kjos uses an ultrafine black Sharpie and 100 lb. paper.
When Kjos suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2017, rest was a crucial part of her recovery. Zentangle again helped her cope and continued to be a much-needed source of relaxation when she was at home during the pandemic. Earlier this year Kjos noticed a struggle with balance, and after a major fall, she reached out to her doctor to ask about physical therapy.
Kjos began meeting with Abby Vermilyea, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at M Health Fairview Clinic – Princeton.
“Abby explained every exercise we did, what muscle we were targeting, and why we were strengthening it. She was so mindful and helped me gently progress at my own pace,” said Kjos. “As we were talking during one of my last sessions, I mentioned that I drew in the evenings to relax. I had a number of drawings and I asked if there was anything that she could use them for.”
Having already given her grandchildren a good number of her drawings to color in, Kjos was thrilled to put her reserves to good use when Vermilyea expressed interest.
Vermilyea and her colleagues in physical and occupational therapy have found a number of great uses for them with patients and with staff, and their popularity is spreading throughout our system. Vermilyea has sent pages next door to M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center for both patients and staff, and as far as M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming.
“We’ve given them to other departments to use as mental health breaks for their employees,” said Vermilyea. “I have a stockpile of Sheryll’s drawings at my desk. If I’m ever having a stressful day and I have an extra 15 minutes between patients, I’ll sit and color one or take it outside and work on it over lunch.”
The drawings have incredible benefits for patients, as well. They not only make therapy appointments a little more fun, they can also help patients physically strengthen their bodies and improve their posture, playing an important role in therapists’ work.
“Occupational therapists especially have patients work on coloring in the drawings as a form of hand strengthening. Some of them have bigger spaces to color in, some have finer details, so it gives us a range of options,” said Vermilyea. “I work on posture control a lot with my pediatric patients. If we’re just standing or sitting it can get boring. I’ll tape a drawing to the wall, and they can work on coloring it in as we practice maintaining good posture.”
Vermilyea says it’s great to be able to hand them a few of Kjos’ drawings and let them choose their favorite to work on. The drawings are also a special reminder of her time working with Kjos as a patient.
“It’s been very fun; she’s one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met,” said Vermilyea. “Part of our therapy work was getting her back to doing what she enjoyed. It’s therapeutic for our patients and staff to work on coloring in her drawings, and I think it’s also therapeutic for her when drawing them.”
Kjos agrees, marveling at the joy her drawings have brought her — and now many others.
“After my pulmonary embolism, the nurses that came to my home were wonderful; the nurses who took care of me in the hospital were wonderful. If I can help in this way, it’s amazing.”
Kjos has dropped off three mailing folders of her drawings so far and is looking forward to continuing her partnership with Vermilyea. The drawings are continuing to provide stress relief, relaxation, and now a unique purpose for Kjos as she continues to build her strength and get back out there after an incredibly difficult decade.
As Kjos says, the drawings have become “a double blessing.”
