In her drawing titled “R U There?,” Sara depicts friends checking up on her and asking where she has been during her long school absences. Sara says at the time all she could do was try to sleep away her pain.
When Sara Render was 16 years old she developed what she thought was a run-of-the-mill ear infection that was accompanied by a headache.
“We saw an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) to clear up the ear infection, but the headache never went away,” said Sara.
After consulting her pediatrician and trying different medications, she saw an eye doctor and a chiropractor to see if her vision or tightness in her neck could be contributing to the problem. After ruling out those issues, Sara was eventually referred to the Headache Clinic at Akron Children’s where she was diagnosed with chronic daily headache.
“Correct Dosage” shows the amount of medication Sara had to take in order to get some sort of relief from her headaches.
When pediatric neurologist Dr. Maria Victorio first met Sara, she was suffering from headaches more days than not.
“For Sara, it was daily and constant. Her headaches were a combination of migraine and tension type headaches that disrupted so much of her life and daily activities, including school,” she said.
A sophomore at Cloverleaf Middle School at the time, Sara was able to finish the last semester of the year online by sitting in a dark room.
“My quality of life was severely impacted by the chronic pain I was experiencing,” she said.
Having a daily disabling headache is challenging to treat. Sara was prescribed the typical preventive medications that included seizure medications, anti-depressants and natural supplements like magnesium; however, it wasn’t enough.
Sara receiving her Ohio Governor’s Youth Arts Exhibition award.
“She received multiple intravenous treatments in our headache infusion center to break her prolonged migraine,” said Dr. Victorio. “Ultimately, combining medical treatment with lifestyle changes and bio-behavioral therapy through psychology were factors that made a big difference.”
Although she continued to miss a lot of school, Sara kept up as best she could with online classes and turned to one of her passions, drawing, to help distract her from her pain.
“For my AP art class, I had to pick a theme for a portfolio project,” said Sara. “I chose the topic of chronic pain because it was a good way for me to help others visualize what I was going through and draw about my different experiences with pain.”
Sara says one piece featured her in bed in the dark with the only light coming from the glow of her cell phone.
In a series of two comics she made separately for her portfolio, “We Will Recover” showcases how Sara felt like she was falling apart and learning that she had to put herself back together in order to cope with her pain.
“Another piece was in the form of a comic strip that showed all the different medications I have been on,” she said. “My final drawing featured me coming to peace with my pain and learning to live with it.”
Six of Sara’s pieces took home scholastic awards including 2 gold keys, 2 silver keys and 2 honorable mentions and have been displayed at Kent State University.
Some of the things that have helped Sara live with her pain throughout her migraine journey have included physical, occupational, behavioral and nutrition therapies, chronic pain rehab, biofeedback, distraction, daily exercise, stretching and medication.
Currently she takes gabapentin to help keep her headaches from turning into migraine.
“Sara has come a long way since I first met her. She is now able to manage her migraine and tension type headaches better with rescue medication and breathing and relaxation techniques,” said Dr. Victorio. “Her migraine isn’t as frequent, and she will soon be ready to wean off her daily preventive medication.”
One of her cheerier pieces, titled “No Longer Wilted,” Sara uses the flower to show how her growth started slow, yet she continued to try and grow even when the leaves began falling off.
A recent high school graduate, Sara, age 18, was able to return to school in person for her entire senior year and played trumpet in the marching band. In the fall, she plans to pursue illustration at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Until she resumes school, Sara has been enjoying drawing for fun.
“The theme of my art is a lot lighter now,” she said. “I like drawing characters from shows I watch and games I play.”
Learn more about the Akron Children’s Headache Clinic.
