He Ain’t Heavy

In honor of TJC’s Tenth Anniversary in March 2006, TJC client and artist Erin Brady Worsham created this original work of art.

Artist’s Statement

“He Ain’t Heavy” is an allegorical piece inspired by the work of the Tennessee Justice Center. On the left side of the elongated vertical space we see three figures (or parts thereof). They stand one on top of the other, each holding the feet of the one above. On the right, a young man is being lifted to the top, to take his place on the tower of people. A woman behind the tower helps lift from below. Her placement in the picture creates an ambiguous spatial feel. Where is she standing? On a very steep hillside or in mid-air, or could she be a giant? The people are colorful and diverse. In the top right we see the Capitol in the distance. All of the figures, except for the ascending man, wear shades of red, signifying the life and death nature of TJC’s work. The young man wears off white, indicating his frailty and need for assistance. The picture speaks of our interdependence and need to support each other, especially when it comes to matters of the state. TJC helps us reach the seemingly inaccessible Capitol to plead our case. The woman in the lower left gazes up at a distant goal, justice for all!”

About the Artist

Erin Brady Worsham is a TJC client and an artist whose works have been exhibited internationally. Ms. Worsham was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1994. ALS causes deterioration of nerve cells to die. Death of nerve cells causes muscular atrophy, and an ALS patient eventually loses the ability to walk, talk, breathe and swallow. This is the position in which Ms. Worsham finds herself, twelve years after her diagnosis.

Immediately after she was diagnosed, Ms. Worsham decided she would never live on a machine. Then, she conceived and gave birth to her son, Daniel. And she decided that she would do whatever it took to guide and watch her son grow up. In 1997, Ms. Worsham began using a feeding tube for nutrition and a ventilator to breathe.

A person on a ventilator needs constant care. The ventilator could become clogged with secretions and the person could go into respiratory distress. So, when Ms. Worsham was discharged to her home with a ventilator, her pulmonologist ordered 12 hours/day nursing care in her home. The care was denied, but TennCare never told the Worshams. Mr. Worsham tried to care for his wife round-the-clock. But such vigilance is not possible. Mr Worsham was sleep deprived, and Ms. Worsham lived in fear that if he fell asleep, she would not survive.

Finally, Ms. Worsham found the Justice Center. We advocated on her behalf and TennCare agreed to cover the nursing services that have meant her life and freedom. Ms. Worsham became part of one of the Justice Center’s class action cases that requires the State to give TennCare enrollees written notices when services are denied.

Ms. Worsham recognizes that she is totally dependent on those around her for her survival, but says, “I feel blessed that I haven’t lost my ability to think.”

Far from that, Ms. Worsham not only maintains an active life with her family—attending her son’s soccer and baseball games—she also continues to work as a freelance artist and writer. Ms. Worsham is active in the community as well. She and her husband have spoken publicly many times and have written countless letters advocating for sound public policy that increases the health and dignity of Tennesseans. In the summer of 2005, Ms. Worsham testified in federal court on behalf of herself and others who need TennCare-covered medical services. She has spoken out again and again in public rule-making hearings, press conferences and in federal court to ensure that no other family goes without needed care or is forced into a nursing home to receive it.

Assisted by a computer with a tiny wire that is taped above her eyebrows, Ms. Worsham is able to speak and to create art on the computer screen. It is a slow process. Speaking a sentence can take as long as five minutes. Creating “He Ain’t Heavy” took some 100 painstaking hours.

Ms. Worsham’s artwork has been displayed in hospitals, universities, publications and festivals across the United States, Canada and Australia. Because she is such an inspiration to us and embodies the strength and courage of many of our clients, TJC honored Ms. Worsham as TJC Mother of the Year in 2000.

Although she once thought she would not want to live hooked to a machine, she now says the machine is hooked to her. And she finds life with her beloved husband and cherished son to be unimaginably beautiful.

Artist Erin Brady Worsham is pictured with her husband, Curry, and son, Daniel, at TJC’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in March 2006.

For more information

To read an article written by Ms. Worsham about herself click here.

For a $150 donation, TJC will send you a 4” x 10” print of “He Ain’t Heavy.” Click here to make a donation and reserve your copy.