I was born with a congenital heart defect, which was repaired when I was very young. Unfortunately, it was not repaired soon enough to prevent pulmonary hypertension (PH) from developing. My life was fairly normal with few physical restrictions until I was in my 20's, at which point my symptoms started to worsen. For the past 15 years, my symptoms have progressed to the point that I am quite limited in what I can do. But, I can still paint, and for that I am thankful. Since PH has dulled my life in many ways, I like to use the brightest, most vivid colors in my artwork to show that I still see the beautiful things in life.