Paul O’Lone of Santa Clara had always been told by his mother to adapt and find ways around challenges. A former Mr. America bodybuilder, he found his challenge with a debilitating disease, multiple sclerosis.
His future seemed crushed.
“After getting diagnosed with MS, that was like a death sentence for me,” O’Lone recalled. “I was in a wheelchair.”
This did not deter him from persevering, however.
“I said, ‘We’re gonna have to change sometimes in our life depending on physical challenges or whatever condition you might have. And you have to adapt.’”
In spite — or perhaps because — of his condition, O’Lone was able to cultivate an unexpected skill: mouth painting.
“Mouth painting is putting the paintbrush in your mouth and just using your mouth instead of your hands,” O’Lone explained.
The unexpected skill that got him a job also got him out of depression.
“I was very depressed and I didn’t know what I was going to do because I wasn’t able to work anymore. And so somebody brought over a paint set one day and they said, ‘I don’t know if I’d do that, but you know what? Put it in my mouth. Let me see if I can paint with my mouth.’
“And I tried it and I was surprised to find out that I could do it. It’s been very therapeutic because the painting seemed to bring color back in my life. It just pulled me out of the depression. And I know that it does that for a lot of people.”
“I think almost anybody can paint with their mouth if they try,” O’Lone said. “And if they try, they’ll get better and better the more they do it. But it’s practice, practice. And I practiced for years, almost every day. And my first paintings didn’t look the same as they do now.”
O’Lone’s newfound skill led him to a surprising alliance.
“After doing it for about a year, I decided to look online to see if anybody else was painting with their mouth. And lo and behold, I found an organization called the Mouth and Foot Painting Association (MFPA). And they assist people with all different types of physical challenges through scholarships for painting. So, they gave me a scholarship two years ago.
“And so that’s pretty much my full-time job. It’s what I do, paint throughout the day. That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing every day now for about the last four years,” O’Lone went on.
The response to O’Lone’s artwork has been positive in Santa Clara and beyond.
“I think I have given away quite a few of my paintings to numerous doctors, like my doctors that we met, and different people whom I really appreciate,” said O’Lone. “I give them as a gift.
“And then I have been able to sell my paintings, too, pretty much all across the United States, because I have lots of people I know on the east coast, too, that purchase paintings from me. Santa Clara, too.”
O’Lone’s passion has allowed him to fulfill the adage that a person who finds their passion will never have to work a day in their life.
“You know, I enjoy it because it’s my passion. It’s not like a job to me, and that’s the great thing about it. So I really feel blessed every day.”
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Inspirational!