Remembering Anita

Stress Reliever
There is something magical about art. Anyone who’s ever made a scrapbook or swept a paintbrush across a canvas knows it can give you a lift. And it can do much more, Anita Mester discovered— because it healed her, body and soul . . . At fi rst, the Mesquite, Texas, mom of two wasn’t worried. But her husband, Mark, was.
“It isn’t normal to bruise for no reason,” he said, insisting she see the doctor.
Yet neither expected the devastating diagnosis: Anita had aplastic anemia, a rare, chronic condition where the body stops producing enough blood cells. For Anita, it was platelets. And without platelets, blood cannot clot. Suddenly, the world seemed like one huge danger zone. Before, if she nicked herself chopping vegetables, Anita just reached for a Band-Aid. Now she could bleed to death. Still, Anita thought, you can’t live life enveloped in bubble wrap! “I’ll be careful,” she vowed to her family. “I’ll be fi ne.” And for nine years, she was. Then routine bloodwork showed that while normal platelet counts range from 150,000 to 450,000, Anita’s was 30! This can’t be happening! Anita reeled as she was hospitalized for blood transfusions. Yet her body wasn’t responding. And one night, she developed a nosebleed. As doctors swarmed around her, applying ice packs, Anita knew: With virtually no platelets, she could die. Her daughter, Lauren, 22, was a grown woman. Her son, Stephen, 18, was heading to college. At the very least, she told herself, I got to see them grow up. Still, she prayed for a miracle . . . A magical gift And an hour later, when doctors checked
Anita’s platelets, they’d climbed to 48! “Somebody’s watching over you,” a kind
nurse encouraged. And somehow, Anita’s platelet count kept rising. Soon, she could go home! Hugging Mark, Anita knew how blessed she was. Yet she also knew just how close she’d come to losing everything, and it terrifi ed her. Because what if next time she wasn’t so lucky?
Just then, though, a package arrived. It was a book, bound with ribbon. And as Anita untied the bow, she found a note from her friend Heidi. Here are the fi rst of your mandalas, she’d written. You’ll be receiving them from all over the country . . . A mandala—derived from an ancient word meaning “circle”—is an intricate design symbolizing wholeness that is sacred in many cultures. Heidi had asked friends to draw mandalas for Anita. Seeing the love poured into each one, Anita was overcome with emotion. “So many people are supporting me!” she realized.
Because whether it was blossoming fl owers, b or written messages like You’re in my prayers, each and every circle was brimming with hope. Circles of hope An art therapist, Anita often encouraged patients to make mandalas to control their anxiety. But, until now, nobody
had ever made a mandala for her. And she’d never made one herself. Yet drawing had always given Anita comfort. So, inspired, she reached for her sketchpad and drew a circle about four inches in diameter. Then, in the center, a fi re. “For energy,” she explained. And it struck Anita: Maybe it was because she was focusing so deeply on making her mandala. But for the fi rst time in, it seemed, forever, she was truly at peace. In fact, creating mandalas almost felt like meditating. So every day, as Anita designed another one, she’d silently repeat a word like “grace” or “love” in her mind. And to her surprise, her worries melted away! Worries like when both her parents were hospitalized. The fear of getting sick again. Even when she did face another health crisis, Anita bounced back faster than anybody imagined possible.
“Whatever you’re doing,” her doctors marveled, “keep doing it!” Today, Anita is healthier than ever! Yet she still draws mandalas daily, even sending them as “thank you” cards. “Mandalas worked a miracle for me,” Anita beams. “Just when I needed it most, they brought peace and calm into my life. And now everything is wonderful again!” Then you can erase anxiety and feel
better, body, mind and soul! Just ask Anita Mester—who was battling a devastating illness when friends gave her a gift that healed and inspired her—one that could work for you, too! "I can't thank everyone enough for their support- so now I/m creating mandalas for them!", says Anita.
Did you know?
When people with bloodstream infections had prayers said for
them, they needed less time in the hospital than those who didn’t !

How to make a healing mandala
1. Gather these supplies: A sheet of black paper, and a white pencil (such as Prismacolor).

2. Think of a healing sound. This could be "amen" or "om" or a special prayer.

3. Trace a circle on the paper. You can use the bottom of a cup or a
plate: Choose the size that feels right.

4. Set your healing intention. Write it on one side of the paper. Some ideas: "love", "forgiveness", or "transformation".

5. Draw freely in the circle imagining the design radiating from your heart. Visualize the white as healing light.

6. Imagine releasing the image to the universe and picture energy returning to you.

Photos: Glen E. Ellman; Jane Avila/The Mandala Healing Kit.
Judith Cornell, Ph.D., author of The Mandala Healing Kit (mandalauniverse.
com), says it’s as simple as these steps:
24 WOMAN’S WORLD 10/20/08
42 Feature-Mandalas6.indd 1 8/27/08 3:22:19 PM