On May 15, UofL Health – UofL Hospital. J. David Richardson Trauma Center held their second annual trauma survivor celebration: Live Beyond: A Celebration of Trauma Survivors. This event showcases trauma survivors’ stories through photography, artwork and the written word.
The theme for this year’s theme was kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. It recognizes the value in an object's journey and chooses to highlight the damage instead of disguising it.
On the days
when you feel
ashamed of your scars,
your mind only registering
how ugly they are
rather than the beauty
they prove of you having survived,
remember that
there is an entire art form dedicated
to filling the cracks of broken things with lacquered gold.
An entire art form that proves that
even the broken and damaged history of an object
is beautiful and should be treasured.
Remember
how much more you are
than an object.
Remember
your survival, your journey,
your scars deserve to be treasured too.
-Nikita Gill-
Below are the stories and photos from this year’s event. Click on the button with their name under their image to read their story.
