Lucy Paterson is an artist and performer from Victoria. She spoke with Tom Valenta about her work as an artist and the art business she established in 2020, her travel plans and why she doesn’t want to be thought of as a ‘sick person’.
When she’s not painting portraits or song writing and singing, Lucy Paterson is attending lectures at Monash University or working two part-time jobs. To suggest that she has a busy life is a gross understatement!
Her career as an artist took off in 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic first struck Victoria. During the initial lockdown, Lucy posted on Instagram that she was accepting commissions for watercolour paintings. As a result, she received several responses and, after completing the commissions, she did her own artwork and sold her paintings at markets. A business fittingly called Lucy’s Little Adventures was subsequently set up.
Before the pandemic, Lucy’s busy life included studying Arts at Monash. She was majoring in Theatre and studying Literature. She was also working part-time at the chocolate retailer, Coco Black at Chadstone shopping centre, and as an usher at the Athenaeum Theatre in the city. With lockdowns, the work ceased, and study was done remotely, part-time. Her art soon filled the void.
Lucy, now aged 22, was diagnosed with CF at four months. As with most families, the news was a huge shock to her parents as there were no known cases in their family. At 14, Lucy was diagnosed with CF related diabetes. Until then, there had been no hospital admissions and Lucy recalls a happy and fulfilling childhood. She has the most common Delta F508 strain. Her only sibling, an older brother, Tom, does not have CF. He now lives in Canberra, but they retain a very close sister-brother relationship.
Born and raised in Dandenong, Lucy went to school in nearby Springvale. After completing her schooling, Lucy spent a month backpacking solo through Vietnam. The trip was inspired by her family’s love of travel. When she was 16, Lucy and her mother went to South-East Asia, staying at backpackers’ accommodation in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
What precautions were required for a person living with CF on the Vietnam trip? ‘Ensuring that there were fridges at backpackers for storing my medications; ensuring that I had sufficient medication; knowing where to access medications if I lost mine; and, remembering to take time each day to do my routine therapies,’ recalled Lucy.
And what of the future? Lucy graduates from Monash at the end of 2022. ‘I dream of becoming an illustrator of children’s books and other materials. Being a singer/songwriter, I would also like to combine several art forms including music therapy.’
International travel is also on the agenda and Lucy would like to visit South America and Scotland. The Amazon region appeals to her while Scotland’s historical aspects holds a fascination.
While she maintains a watch on new CF medications such as Trikafta, Lucy does not allow CF issues to dominate or depress her busy lifestyle. There are quarterly health reviews at Monash Medical, she has routine hospital admissions once or twice a year plus hospital-in-the-home sessions which allow her to get on with her study, art and other activities.
In her younger days, Lucy’s lung capacity was around 80 per cent while these days it’s in the 60’s and 70s percentile which is still reasonably good and allows her to pursue her interests. Appreciating the benefits of sport and physical fitness, she has recently joined a basketball club and also loves surfing. With no surf beaches close to Melbourne, she must plan trips to areas such as Ocean Grove and Phillip Island where she learned to surf during family holidays.
‘I never want to see myself as a sick person and don’t want anybody with CF to be seen as a “sick poster child,”’ says Lucy.
See more of Lucy’s art at her Instagram account, Lucy’s Little Adventures.
The views, experiences or comments shared on this website are not medical advice and may not reflect opinions or beliefs of Cystic Fibrosis Community Care. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions regarding your health.
