Portrait of an Artist Back from the Brink Nothing

Portrait of an Artist Back from the Brink

By Rosalie Rayburn Moving to a country half-way around the world involves enormous challenges, but nothing could have prepared Todd Doleshall and his husband, Glen Cook, for the lifethreatening illness that transformed their lives, ultimately leading Doleshall to a new career as an artist. A gallery featuring his paintings opened in December at the popular Aromáticas restaurant in Espinhal. The story began when Doleshall and Cook, both 58, arrived in Lisbon in October 2018 with one son, 13 suitcases, and three large dogs. They’d retired from teaching jobs, sold a coffee shop, dairy goat herd, and their five-acre farm in northern Colorado. It was the culmination of a long-held dream. “We were tired of working the whole time just to be able to afford to live in our place,” Cook said. The couple and their son settled into a short-term rental in Figuiera de Foz, ready to start the search for their forever home. One month later, though, Doleshall fell ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease which causes muscle weakness. Completely paralyzed, he was admitted to an intensive care unit at the University Hospital in Coimbra. Unable to breathe, he was intubated and remained in a medically induced coma for 24 days. Doleshall’s condition was so dire that doctors told Cook he might not make it. Or, if he did, that he might never be able to walk, speak, or breathe unaided again. “It was touch and go for a few days,” Cook said. But he did make it. Finally able to breathe on his own, Todd was moved to a rehabilitation facility. He remembers very little of that time, except for the weird and vivid dreams he had while in a coma. Once he was awake, he found himself unable to eat the food offered. Concerned by his weight loss, doctors allowed Cook to prepare and bring him meals.

Once he was ready to come home, the couple moved into the house Cook had found in Serpins, a small town near Lousã in central Portugal. Though glad to be out of the hospital, Doleshall faced huge psychological challenges. A big man, around two meters tall, he was used to being able to throw hay bales around with ease. He had lost around 35 kilos, suffered numbness and pain in his legs and hands, and was confined to a wheelchair. Cook said the doctors suggested he find something for Doleshall to do, so he could improve the function in his hands. Doleshall decided to try painting, something he’d “dabbled” with as a young man. Cook ordered him a paint-bynumbers kit and got him a drafting table. On Todd’s birthday, Cook presented Doleshall with a box of paints, a From left, Glen Cook and Todd Doleshall canvas, and easel. in front of one of his paintings at Aromáticas restaurant in Espinhal. “Now, you’ve got to paint for real,” Cook told him.

Photo: Rosalie Rayburn 56

Todd Doleshall at work on one of his paintings. Photo: Todd Doleshall

Todd Doleshall is now able to walk, but still needs crutches. Photo: Rosalie Rayburn

Doleshall was hooked. He took an online painting class, “Bold School” taught by Charla Marshalk, and hasn’t looked back. In the past year he has created dozens of paintings. “I love it. It is my kind of therapy,” Doleshall said. “I often get caught up in my head about my disabilities and what I can’t do anymore.” He still needs crutches to walk and is on a lot of medication. “Painting is a way for me to get out of my head and to process my world without my disability,” he said. Doleshall draws inspiration from a wide range of sources. He has painted birds, animals, landscapes, people. He said he usually works from photos, preferring black and white images so he can choose his own colors. He Doleshall’s paintings on display at often spends days Aromáticas restaurant in Espinhal. Photo: Todd Doleshall processing ideas for a painting. “If I have an idea, I create an entire painting in my head before I put anything on canvas,” he said. The ongoing problems with his hands mean it is easier for him to create large paintings, and he favors bold colors.

Your Tribe Photo and copyright: Todd Doleshall • All rights reserved

Aromáticas restaurant owner Awen Johnson knew about Doleshall’s paintings and approached the couple when they came in for a meal. An art teacher in the UK, Awen was eager to attract customers who would be interested in art. She suggested Doleshall could use a former games room at the restaurant as a gallery for his work. It opened in December and Doleshall has since sold sever- Doleshall’s paintings on display at al paintings. Aromáticas restaurant in Espinhal. Photo: Todd Doleshall Painting, he said, “is what keeps me sane.”

Todd Doleshall’s paintings at Aromáticas restaurant, Largo Feira, 3230-051, Espinhal Todd Doleshall’s website: www.facetworld.net

Rosalie Rayburn is a retired journalist and blogger who has lived in many countries. She now makes Portugal her home.