Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A Life on Hold - Artist Jaime Seward awaits kidney transplant
A life on hold for Jaime Seward
Donalee Wallace
Special to The Morning Star
Enderby artist Jaime Seward’s paintings adorn walls in businesses, galleries and homes throughout the Thompson/Okanagan. Her work has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and she is recognized globally for her extraordinary brushwork.
Many articles have been written about this local, talented gem, but now the focus has shifted as she faces end-stage polycystic kidney disease. Seward had one of her kidneys removed Feb. 20, 2009, and her new reality is life on dialysis until a donor kidney is found.
Her artistic path began at a very early age growing up on the prairies in Manitoba. She was a free-spirited child who went against the grain of her strict Mennonite upbringing as she explored her creative talents by doodling on school blackboards. She gained recognition for her artistic talents at the age of nine. She knew then that her life’s path would be an artistic one.
Seward moved to Kelowna in 1978 and worked two jobs, spending her days off sketching and painting. In 1981 she received her first commission and her professional artistic career began. In 1991 she purchased a 35-acre parcel of land on Mabel Lake Road just east of Enderby where she still lives today. She bartered her paintings for materials and supplies to build her home, which over time she has turned into a B and B and an artist retreat.
Not only is Seward a gifted artist, her passion to share the arts with under-privileged children runs deep in her veins, and many kids who would not normally get the opportunity have benefited from — and even found — their artistic niche under her guidance. She holds workshops, private and group lessons at her home and is a very involved member of the artistic community. She has donated her paintings to fundraisers and silent auctions to help other people in the community.
"I have had a full and interesting life and I am in a very different place now, I’m not trying to prove myself any more. I feel it is time for me to give back," she said.
Twenty-five years ago, Seward was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition for which there is no cure. For years, she has prepared herself and her children for when she reached the end-stage of this disease which is usually renal failure. Before her kidney was removed in February, she was surviving on nine per cent kidney function. The right kidney on removal weighed almost eight pounds, more than her infant daughter did at birth.
Four people came forward to be tested as possible donors for Seward. All four were rejected due to sensitivities/antigens in the tissue-matching phase of testing, which means it could be hard to find a donor match for her. She is blood type "O."
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease passed on from parents to their children through genes. PKD is a condition in which multiple cysts develop throughout the kidneys until they become so enlarged they crowd all the other organs and eventually cause kidney failure.
Dialysis is a process that removes excess fluids and wastes from the bloodstream using a membrane — instead of a kidney — as a filter. Kidney transplants are relatively common now and have a good success rate. Someone who has had a successful transplant can live a normal, healthy life for many years.
It is a long recovery after kidney removal, and dialysis is a time-consuming process, leaving Seward little energy to lead a normal, healthy life until a kidney donor can be found. To help her cope with the financial burden during her recovery, her artwork is displayed for sale at a number of locations:
The Enderby Museum;
The Musicians Series is on display at Lorenzo’s cafe in Ashton Creek, 901 Mabel Lake Rd.
The Cliffs Cafe & Pub owners Christine Ashton and Adam Potts invite you to their new location by the bridge on Cliff Avenue in Enderby. Drop by to view Seward’s work on display there and enjoy live music on the weekends.
Seward’s private gallery can be viewed by appointment only by calling 250-838-9455 or check out her website at http://seward.netfirms.com/
Jaime Seward’s friends rally as the Enderby artist waits for life-saving kidney
Donalee Wallace photo
Artist Jaime Seward is living with polycystic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis as she waits for a kidney match to be found for a transplant.
Donalee Wallace
Special to The Morning Star
Enderby artist Jaime Seward’s paintings adorn walls in businesses, galleries and homes throughout the Thompson/Okanagan. Her work has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and she is recognized globally for her extraordinary brushwork.
Many articles have been written about this local, talented gem, but now the focus has shifted as she faces end-stage polycystic kidney disease. Seward had one of her kidneys removed Feb. 20, 2009, and her new reality is life on dialysis until a donor kidney is found.
Her artistic path began at a very early age growing up on the prairies in Manitoba. She was a free-spirited child who went against the grain of her strict Mennonite upbringing as she explored her creative talents by doodling on school blackboards. She gained recognition for her artistic talents at the age of nine. She knew then that her life’s path would be an artistic one.
Seward moved to Kelowna in 1978 and worked two jobs, spending her days off sketching and painting. In 1981 she received her first commission and her professional artistic career began. In 1991 she purchased a 35-acre parcel of land on Mabel Lake Road just east of Enderby where she still lives today. She bartered her paintings for materials and supplies to build her home, which over time she has turned into a B and B and an artist retreat.
Not only is Seward a gifted artist, her passion to share the arts with under-privileged children runs deep in her veins, and many kids who would not normally get the opportunity have benefited from — and even found — their artistic niche under her guidance. She holds workshops, private and group lessons at her home and is a very involved member of the artistic community. She has donated her paintings to fundraisers and silent auctions to help other people in the community.
"I have had a full and interesting life and I am in a very different place now, I’m not trying to prove myself any more. I feel it is time for me to give back," she said.
Twenty-five years ago, Seward was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition for which there is no cure. For years, she has prepared herself and her children for when she reached the end-stage of this disease which is usually renal failure. Before her kidney was removed in February, she was surviving on nine per cent kidney function. The right kidney on removal weighed almost eight pounds, more than her infant daughter did at birth.
Four people came forward to be tested as possible donors for Seward. All four were rejected due to sensitivities/antigens in the tissue-matching phase of testing, which means it could be hard to find a donor match for her. She is blood type "O."
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease passed on from parents to their children through genes. PKD is a condition in which multiple cysts develop throughout the kidneys until they become so enlarged they crowd all the other organs and eventually cause kidney failure.
Dialysis is a process that removes excess fluids and wastes from the bloodstream using a membrane — instead of a kidney — as a filter. Kidney transplants are relatively common now and have a good success rate. Someone who has had a successful transplant can live a normal, healthy life for many years.
It is a long recovery after kidney removal, and dialysis is a time-consuming process, leaving Seward little energy to lead a normal, healthy life until a kidney donor can be found. To help her cope with the financial burden during her recovery, her artwork is displayed for sale at a number of locations:
The Enderby Museum;
The Musicians Series is on display at Lorenzo’s cafe in Ashton Creek, 901 Mabel Lake Rd.
The Cliffs Cafe & Pub owners Christine Ashton and Adam Potts invite you to their new location by the bridge on Cliff Avenue in Enderby. Drop by to view Seward’s work on display there and enjoy live music on the weekends.
Seward’s private gallery can be viewed by appointment only by calling 250-838-9455 or check out her website at http://seward.netfirms.com/
Jaime Seward’s friends rally as the Enderby artist waits for life-saving kidney
Donalee Wallace photo
Artist Jaime Seward is living with polycystic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis as she waits for a kidney match to be found for a transplant.
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