I unfortunately had a lot of medical procedures throughout my life, so I decided to paint all of my surgeries as a way to heal and as a way to grow.

Long gone are the days when hospital stays and surgeries made up the bulk of seniors' annual medical expenses.

I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

I have argued for years that we do not have a health care system in America. We have a disease-management system - one that depends on ruinously expensive drugs and surgeries that treat health conditions after they manifest rather than giving our citizens simple diet, lifestyle and therapeutic tools to keep them healthy.

Doctors give your family three options when your unborn baby is diagnosed with HLHS. You can terminate the pregnancy, you can have the baby and refuse treatment, or you can go through with the three surgeries our doctor had told us about. There was never any doubt in our minds that we were going to give our child a chance to survive and thrive.

I unfortunately had a lot of medical procedures throughout my life so I decided to paint all of my surgeries as a way to heal and as a way to grow.

Long gone are the days when hospital stays and surgeries made up the bulk of seniors' annual medical expenses.

I am not against all forms of high-tech medicine. Drugs and surgeries have a secure place in the treatment of serious health conditions. But modern American medicine treats almost every health condition as if it were an emergency.

I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009 and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health you don't have anything.

I have argued for years that we do not have a health care system in America. We have a disease-management system - one that depends on ruinously expensive drugs and surgeries that treat health conditions after they manifest rather than giving our citizens simple diet lifestyle and therapeutic tools to keep them healthy.

I mean I get letters in the mail because I had a heart defect when I was one I had surgeries and stuff. And so you get these letters in the mail that just they are crazy they are just like yes well our son is dealing with the same thing and we saw you on TV and I mean it is such a cool thing to inspire and kind of give hope.