2024 YEAR IN REVIEW

2024 reinforced my already firm belief that I am here on Earth School to be tested. This year, I seemed to move from bad to worse, from illness to injury. You might remember, in 2023, I was bitten by a saber tooth tick, and as a result, I was forced to learn more than I ever wanted to know about Lyme Disease. At one point, I was taking over 66 pills & tinctures, and I took a huge financial hit, spending nearly 15K out of pocket, to see Lyme literate doctors & naturopathic health coaches.

Then, just as things were looking up on the Lyme front, I fell.

On June 28th, I was at Spencerport Canal Days, doing my thing. It was eleventy-seven bazillion degrees in my tent, and I was dehydrated and I just sort of passed out. From that moment on, something was just not right. I had shooting pain in my groin, was unable to straighten up. In July, I went to see an orthopedic surgeon who told me he thought I’d “be fine with a little physical therapy,” so I tried that. It didn’t help, and – in fact – it seemed to exacerbate things. I went to a hip specialist. (It wasn’t my hip.) I went to an accupuncturist & a massage therapist & did a full month of bi-weekly chiropractic decompression treatments, but things did not improve. In September, I got a spinal injection which worked for about a week before wearing off. Around this time, I made an appointment to see a neurosurgeon who was booking into December, and I called every week to find out if there had been any cancellations.

There never were.

By November, I could no longer bear weight. Homebound for months, friends delivered food & medicine & durable equipment, including a cane & a walker. I cancelled my last three art shows of the year.

And then, a miracle happened.

I got in to see Dr. Anthony Petraglia at Rochester Regional Health. He looked at my MRI and immediately validated that there was something really wrong with my spine. My nerves were being squished, and I would need surgery. It was getting awfully close to Christmas, and Dr. Petraglia explained he had plans to travel out of town with his daughters. “You will be one of my first cases in 2025,” he said.

There was a time in my life where I would have not said anything, but I have learned so much over the last decade about the way the Universe works.

Ask and you shall receive, I thought to myself.

“If there’s any way to get this done before the end of the year,” I said, “I’d drop everything to make it happen.”

‘I’ll see what I can do,” Dr. Petraglia said doubtfully, as he walked out of the examination room.

Three days later, on December 23rd, I went in for a laminectomy.

Everything went well and, as I tap out this update, at 8 days post-op, I no longer have any back, hip or groin pain and the throbbing sciatica has completely disappeared. The recovery is estimated between 4-6 weeks, and I’m hoping to be able to sit comfortably enough to be able to be a passenger in someone car within the next few weeks so that I can resume my life as an independent adult!

As stinky as it has been to be stuck at home in abject pain for all those months, I am actually feeling super grateful. I am truly humbled by how many people showed up for me this year and in so many different ways. You, my friends, kept me fed and watered; you kept me distracted, you kept me company, you kept me laughing; you prayed for me & kept me out of the fear place. You brought me lunch & dinner & cards & chocolate. You told me what movies to watch on Netflix and played Yahtzee with me. You let me scream & cry & whine in person and over the phone. Over the last decade, I have repopulated my life with the highest caliber human beings, people who are committed to friendship & fellowship, people who say what they mean & mean what they say, and I am eternally grateful to each and every person who has cared for me over the last 6 months. Every now and then, I start to fret that I will never be able to repay all these people, and one of them reminds that true friendship is not transactional.

Before I share my nerdy statistics with you, I want to sincerely wish everyone a Happy New Year filled with good health and peace of mind. 

•  •  •
And now, without any further ado, it’s time to report my 2024 statistics.

MY YEAR IN NUMBERS

5000+ – My memoir has sold more than 5,000 copies since its publication in 2021. This year, it was also translated into Italian by Dr. Giuseppe Tibaldi. If you still haven’t read my book, you can buy it here!

107 – Amazon reviews. I stopped nagging people about writing reviews the moment we reached 100! (But seriously, if you’ve read/listen to my book & have not yet left a review, it would be a gift to me if you’d write one and send it to me!)

142 – Audiobook downloads.

1 – Coloring book published. Thrilled to have sold 99 copies.

17,109 – Combined followers on all social media outlets. Most follow on my Rasjacobson Art Facebook Page.

2,028 – People on my email list. If you are seeing this, you are one of those people.

210 – Unique pieces of artwork created this year. This is ½ of what I did back in 2022 – but part of this is because I leaned into my role as a Benzo Recovery Coach & because I had to slow down a lot to take care of myself due to Lyme Disease & my back injury.

11 – Shows/Festivals • You know what they say about best laid plans, right? I started the year having paid for & planning to do 19 events, but I only made 11. I also did my 5th Annual End-of-Year Liquidation Sale virtually via ZOOM.

312 – Unique sales. Sales were down 30% due to my having to miss so many shows. 

30 – Sales of best-selling image in 2024. Hands down, it was WOOF this year.

0 – Private commissions. I said ‘no’ a lot this year because of my injury. Hopefully, I will pick up a few in 2025.

80 – Unique ZOOM Conversations with Individuals Experiencing Psychiatric Medication Issues • Over the last 5 years, I’ve had many hundreds of conversations with people who have been injured by psych drugs. Tens of thousands identify as being harmed by SSRIs, benzodiazepines & antipsychotic medications, and I will continue to pull back the curtain to reveal what’s actually happening on this front. It’s my mission to spread awareness & to help grow a radical movement of holistic health consciousness. To the individuals with whom I have spoken in 2024, thank you for sharing your stories with me.

82 – In-person art classes. 

39 – Online art classes. This year, I teamed up with psychiatric survivor & holistic health coach, Emilie Jordao, for ZOOM DOODLE, which combined art and yogic meditation. We are about to start our newest course, CONARE: Expressive Art & Wellness, which combines creativity with biohacking wellness modalities. Classes start in February 2025 and enrollment is open now. If you’re interested, you can read more about it HERE.

0 – Memoir classes taught • This one bums me out. My Advanced Memoir class fell apart in 2023. I take responsibility for this loss. I became frustrated with the slow pace at which people were progressing with their stories, and I expressed that frustration in not the nicest way. Our little group had been working together for many years, and I am sad to have lost communication with two of the former participants. That being said, I am looking forward to seeing Carol Wisner’s memoir RIVER of DREAMS come out in 2025, and I’m hoping she will let me help her to organize her book launch.

1– Interviews • I did one podcast interview with Dr. Teralyn & Dr. Jenn this year for THE GASLIT TRUTH PODCAST. You can check that out HERE.

18 – Blog posts. I started committing poetry again! While sidelined, I started committing writing again, which felt really good.  

0 – Trips – Besides my usual trips to visit my parents in the 315 & a bunch of overnights with my bestie in Naples, NY, I went nowhere & saw no one. Let’s hope that changes in 2025.

0 – First dates. Who care?! I’m happy with my life and & have decided to simply enjoy spending time with all the amazing people in my life.

Tell me your numbers. Am I the only weirdo who keeps track of things like this?