Carina Imbrogno
My name is Carina Imbrogno, and I am a self-taught, award-winning disabled artist and illustrator. I would like to share my miracle story with everyone I can possibly reach, in hopes of inspiring them and giving them hope.
I am truly a walking miracle. I have defeated death many times. I am becoming an inspirational artist, and I have made it my life mission to share my story and my art. It is my way of paying it forward for all the miracles I have received. I truly believe God is keeping me alive so I can share my story with the world.
I was born on November 1st, 1974, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian immigrants. My parents grew up in Rose, Cosenza, a small town in the mountains of Calabria, Italy. They grew up in extreme poverty and only had a third-grade education. They married in 1954, and shortly after, my mother became pregnant with her first child. When she was eight months pregnant, she received the devastating news that my paternal grandfather had suddenly passed away from a heart attack. My parents were very close to him, and my mother took the loss very hard. Soon after, she gave birth to a stillborn baby girl. Unable to find steady work in Italy, they migrated to Buenos Aires in 1958.
By the time they arrived, my mother was pregnant with my second oldest sister, Maria Francesca. Shortly after arriving, my father found work as a crematory operator at the Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, and also worked as a mason on the side, the trade he had learned in Italy. After being laid off from the crematorium in 1975 and unable to find steady work, my father made the difficult decision to come to the United States. With the help of his siblings who lived in Stamford, Connecticut — where I live today — he made the move.
My father found full-time work as a mason and lived with his older brother while saving every penny. By 1978, he was able to rent a house and buy plane tickets for us to join him. As soon as we arrived in the U.S., I had to go to Newington Children's Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, for scoliosis treatments. I was born with kyphoscoliosis, discovered at age 2. In 2015, I was diagnosed with two rare genetic disorders: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, kyphoscoliosis type, and Marfanoid habitus. Both affect the body's connective tissues. Marfanoid features include being tall and thin, with long arms and legs, long slender fingers, spinal curvature, flexible joints, flat feet, and in many cases, like mine, learning disabilities.
I am the youngest of nine children. My sister Maria Francesca passed away as a toddler at just 14 months old — another heartbreaking loss for my parents. We are now three girls and four boys, and I am the youngest. Shortly after arriving in Stamford, my mother got a job as a housekeeper at Stamford Hospital. About a year later, she had a terrible accident. While making an electrical hospital bed, it malfunctioned and fell on her left arm, crushing the nerves. Sadly, she fell into the hands of a greedy and negligent doctor who performed many unnecessary surgeries, leaving her disabled.
School was particularly challenging for me. I was bullied and teased because of my very slim build and noticeable rib hump. I was also very shy, which made it hard to make friends. As I grew older, my rib hump became more prominent, so I grew my hair long to try to hide it. When I started kindergarten, teachers noticed I had learning disabilities that made it hard to retain information, so I was placed in special education classes. Later in my adulthood I discovered I also have ADHD. It is believed my genetic disorder is the cause of my learning challenges.
I began wearing orthopedic braces and body casts at age 4 until age 12, and then again as an adult. They were meant to slow the curvature. I had my first open-back surgery in the summer of 1985 at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. My spine was collapsing so quickly that I was having trouble breathing, so I needed emergency surgery. By that time, I had a 95-degree curve on top and a 70-degree curve on the bottom, forming an S-shape. I was also starting to collapse inward. Doctors told my family I had a deadly form of kyphoscoliosis and without surgery, I would end up in a wheelchair and face a painful death. My family was so afraid that they agreed to the surgery. I remember being so scared that I had terrible nightmares.
A few days before my surgery, my sister Maria Francesca appeared to me in a dream. She was around my age, and her hair and face looked like mine. She told me she was my sister. I remember it so vividly. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and had beautiful white wings. She told me not to be afraid because she was one of my angels watching over me. When I woke up, I felt an indescribable sense of peace. I went into surgery with no fear.
The doctors fused my vertebrae and placed a Harrington rod to stop my spine from curving further. Unfortunately, they didn't achieve the correction they hoped for. After surgery, I still had a 56-degree curve on top and 40 degrees on the bottom, with no correction for my rib hump. A few weeks after being discharged, I began having complications.
A few days after coming home, I developed an extremely high fever. My family took me to our primary doctor, and he found a lump on my back. A massive infection had formed from the surgery. It was so severe that I was hospitalized for three months on the strongest intravenous antibiotics. With my entire family praying for me, I miraculously survived.
Over time, the Harrington rod began causing problems. By age 18, it had shifted out of place and doctors believed it was causing my migraines, forcing me to leave school for a semester. I had to have another surgery to remove part of the rod. The migraines finally went away, but I still struggled with my painful rib hump and low self-esteem for a very long time. In 1988, my father retired from masonry. He bought a small 11-unit motel with a two-bedroom apartment in Hallandale, Florida, and we lived off the rental income until 1998. I attended Hallandale High School.
Despite my learning disabilities, I tried extremely hard in high school, getting very little sleep to finish homework and study. I was blessed with kind teachers who helped me, and I managed to get good grades. I loved art but biology was my passion. Unfortunately with my memory issues it wasn't something I could major in. I took art classes in high school as a form of therapy even though I did not consider myself that good. I did mostly drawings in pencil, colored pencil and some watercolors. My art teacher, Mr. Payne, encouraged me to enter competitions, and I won several awards. Because of all my hard work, I graduated with honors in the top ten percent of my class with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5. With all my limitations I figured I would have to do something creative after high school. So I tried fashion design.
I was accepted into a small fashion design program at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where I earned an associate degree and received the Future Designer Award. Sadly, pattern making and sewing were extremely hard on my spine and caused severe back pain. I knew it would be difficult to pursue fashion as a career, but at the same time I didn't really enjoy it. At this time my mom came into some money and sent me to school in New York City. Since Fashion Design didn't work out, I decided to try Textile Surface design. In 1996, I was accepted to study textile surface design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It was the school's suggestion to enroll in textile surface design after reviewing my portfolio.
I was thrilled to attend FIT — I had always loved New York City — and I was accepted with the highest marks. At this time I discovered I could mix colors very easily and I could paint intricate patterns in gouache and dyes. My teachers were impressed with my natural painting and mixing colors ability. I was doing so well that I was selected to study abroad at the Winchester School of Art in England for a semester in 1997. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile Surface Design in 2000 with a 3.8 GPA. Shortly after graduating, I found a job as a textile designer in New York City and married my then husband I had met five years earlier in Florida. I married my husband while still living in New York City in 2000.
My husband was from Casablanca, Morocco. Less than a year after we got married, we moved to Florida near my parents. I found full time work as a beauty consultant. From 2000-2005 I worked as a beauty consultant for some major lines of make up. Sadly, I found myself in a toxic and abusive relationship. He abused prescription drugs and alcohol. I had never used drugs or alcohol, so this behavior was unacceptable to me. His substance abuse became so out of control that he would quit jobs or get fired. When under the influence, he became verbally abusive, and later, physically abusive. He had no compassion and made me feel so unloved, unwanted and degraded me. He treated me with so much disrespect. I later discovered he was being unfaithful. While we were still married, he left another woman pregnant. The stress caused me to develop coronary spasms.
Doctors put me on nitroglycerin for the spasms. Six months later, I was able to come off nitroglycerin completely and never had any more heart issues. In one of his drunken rages, my husband threw away some of the artwork and awards I had won in high school and at FIT. After four years of marriage, I couldn't take the abuse any longer so I decided to finally leave him and moved back in with my parents. Shortly after separating, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and had to have four painful abdominal surgeries over eight years. I had complications during the second surgery. Something went wrong and I began bleeding internally. It took me months to recover. It was a very painful illness. In January 2004, I had a dream with God.
In my dream, God appeared as a bright, golden, shimmering light. He told me not to be afraid, that He was God. I felt an indescribable sense of love and peace flowing from that beautiful light. I felt Him cradling me and leading me down a beautiful path. He told me I would still face many difficult challenging trials, but he wanted me to know that he was always with me. He would always be with me to protect me. Then He began telling me jokes. I realized God has an amazing sense of humor, and He knew how much I love comedy and laughter. Comedy has always been my medicine. Comedy has helped me through my toughest times. I remember saying, “God, you tell jokes?” He answered, “Where do you think they come from?” We both laughed as we walked down the path, and then I woke up. I was really shocked by this dream since I have never been religious or spiritual. Right after that dream, I had my first endometriosis surgery.
In August 2004, I decided to have surgery to correct my painful and prominent rib deformity. It was in Miami, and unfortunately, I fell into the hands of a bad doctor. Dr. O'Brien, a spine specialist, lied about his experience with my type of deformity, resulting in an unsuccessful surgery. His malpractice nearly cost me my life and left me even more disabled. I had complications and was hospitalized for three months. He removed the Harrington rod but failed to fix my ribs correctly, so my spine began collapsing again at a fast rate. My ribs now stuck out in front, forcing me to wear a brace again to walk and to take strong narcotics for unbearable pain. He also caused irreparable nerve damage.
The failed surgery forced me to quit my job as a makeup artist in Boca Raton. The doctor refused to take responsibility and called me mentally unstable. When I called the hospital for my records, they could not locate them anywhere. I came to believe he had gotten rid of my X-rays and before-and-after photos so I could not sue him. I was once again facing life in a wheelchair and a painful death. Finding a doctor to help me became extremely difficult.
I traveled to many states with my oldest sister Ana, whom I have always been very close to, and my youngest brother Daniel, to find a doctor. I needed life-saving reconstructive surgery for my spine and ribs. We were turned away by every doctor because the surgery would cost over $500,000 and was not covered by Connecticut state insurance. We needed to come up with 70 percent upfront. As my spine collapsed more, I became bedridden in less than a year. The pain was so severe that I was heavily medicated and made weekly ER visits for IV morphine for over a year. At that time, in severe pain and heavily medicated, I felt hopeless and suicidal.
I was so upset that no one would help me because I could not afford the surgery that I took an entire bottle of Tylenol. I regretted it immediately, remembering my dream with God. I was staying with my sister Ana, who rushed me to Stamford Hospital ER where my stomach was pumped. By summer 2006, I had a side curve of 119 degrees, now forming a C-shape, and a concave curve of 120 degrees, with great difficulty breathing and walking. I became so disabled that I applied for disability and housing. My disability was approved 18 months later, and I was placed on a long waiting list.
In late summer 2006, I had a vivid dream where I was lying on the floor in a fetal position, crying in pain. Suddenly, a being filled with white light appeared, put his hand through me, and straightened my spine. In the dream, I was able to stand up and walk away. My family was praying for me constantly. My sister Marcela in Florida prayed so much, and I am forever grateful to her. About two weeks after that dream, my brother Rick found a doctor in Texas who could perform my life-saving surgery. I am incredibly grateful to Ana and Rick for their support. Ana took me to Baylor Hospital in Plano, Texas, where I met Dr. Alexis Shelokov.
Dr. Shelokov was one of only a few dozen surgeons in the U.S. who regularly performed reconstructive surgery for severe scoliosis, for many who had unsuccessful treatments before. He had performed over 6,000 operations around the world, bringing hope to those with severe deformities, tumors, and degenerative spine diseases.
After meeting him, he assured me he could help. His financial team had me write a letter to the hospital explaining my situation. In that letter, I begged them to save my life. A month later, I was approved for surgery free of charge. On November 13, 2006, I had my life-saving surgery. Before surgery, I told Dr. Shelokov how much I loved art, and he said to me that I would one day become an artist. He gave me the biggest hug and I went into surgery. He was a true angel.
Dr. Shelokov was able to correct the collapsed spine and rib damage caused by Dr. O'Brien. He placed two rods and 26 screws to hold my spine and corrected the deformity. The surgery lasted nearly 12 hours, and I grew five inches from the correction. Once again, I survived. When I looked in the mirror, I truly didn't recognize myself. The surgery went very well without complications. Dr. Shelokov warned me he might need to place a halo around my head if I couldn't hold my head up. A halo involves attaching a metal ring to the skull. When my very spiritual sister Marcela heard this, she prayed so heavily for me that a couple of days before the halo procedure, I began holding my head up on my own and avoided it. The entire team, including Dr. Shelokov, was in shock — and so was I. I now have a curve of only 20 degrees, no rib deformity, and I can walk normally.
My successful surgery was called a miracle by Dr. Shelokov and his team. I was known as his miracle patient. I became locally known and was flown back to Texas and interviewed by several news networks. I learned a few years ago that to this day, I am the only person to have ever received such a large charity from Baylor Hospital.
I am eternally grateful to Baylor Hospital and Dr. Shelokov for their compassion and charity. It truly restored my faith in humanity. Until his untimely passing, I helped Dr. Shelokov ease his patients into surgery as a way of paying it forward. Dr. Shelokov passed away in 2009 from a sudden heart attack while on vacation with his family at age 55. I was devastated. I became so angry with God. I didn't understand why I lived and he didn't. This anger lasted until the end of 2014. About six months after his passing, I learned Dr. O'Brien from Miami had become one of the doctors taking his place at the spine center. I was infuriated. In my opinion, he was a bad doctor and didn't deserve to be there. I immediately called the hospital and shared my feelings about allowing him to be part of their center. I had them send me all my records and never returned. I learned a few years ago that Dr. O'Brien passed away in 2020.
Getting off all the narcotics and medications I had been on for nearly three years was a real challenge, but I was determined. It took over a year. Shortly after, I went into early menopause and began suffering from crippling anxiety that led to severe depression and severe stomach issues. At that time, I was working part-time as a beauty consultant for Clinique in Lord and Taylors. I loved my job, but once again my condition forced me to quit after a year. The stomach bloating and pain became debilitating. At this time I felt very alone. I saw a lot of doctors but was limited because of my insurance. A lot of the doctors I saw did not believe the hell I was truly going through. I was so desperate to get better I tried everything. Doctors advised me to try antidepressants. I had a very hard time finding one I could tolerate due to horrific side effects.
Since they couldn't find anything I could tolerate, a psychiatrist recommended ECT. After a few rounds, I started to feel worse — more anxiety and insomnia for over a month. For me, it was a truly horrific experience and a decision I deeply regret. My coping mechanism has always been comedy and music. I watched a lot of comedy and cooking shows, even though I wasn't able to cook at the time. At this time I was living in a tiny room in my brother Oscar's basement with his family in Stamford, CT. Since I got married and then separated I moved around a lot. At one point I had lost everything and I was almost homeless. My depression and anxiety and stomach issues became so bad that I spent from 2011 to the end of 2014 bedridden and doctors including friends and family thinking I was crazy.
Amidst all this suffering, I received a letter in the mail saying I was next on the list to rent a subsidized small apartment for seniors with seven apartments reserved for those with disabilities in Stamford, CT, where I had applied in 2006. I was thrilled, having waited so long. I was happy to get my own apartment but also scared because of my health issues. Still, I took a chance and moved into my own apartment by Christmas 2013, where I found some independence. In May 2014, I watched the movie Heaven Is for Real, and my life began to change.
In that movie, I discovered the artist Akiane Kramarik and her work, which inspired me to become an artist and illustrator. Akiane is a child prodigy who painted the image of Jesus at age eight. The painting is titled “The Prince of Peace.” There is an incredible story behind it. Seeing The Prince of Peace for the first time inspired me to pick up a pencil and brush and start drawing and painting. I was so impressed and fascinated by her story that it awakened my artistic side again. Akiane paints images from heaven. The Prince of Peace is her most famous painting and has become one of the most recognized images of Jesus in the world. It sold for almost $1,000,000 in 2019 after it was recovered. I tell this story on my website. A gallery in her honor was built in 2022 in Marble Falls, Texas, called the Beloved Gallery, housing The Prince of Peace and twelve other paintings. Discovering Akiane helped me find my true purpose and helped save my life once again.
By 2014, I was so ill I could not stay hydrated, with severe nausea, unable to keep food down or tolerate medications. I went from 135 pounds to 92 pounds by October 2014. It was so difficult. I often dehydrated and ended up in the ER for IV fluids. One of my FIT teachers, Susan, whom I stayed in touch with, advised me to go to Mount Sinai in New York City. I spent my 40th birthday there, again fighting to live.
I spent my 40th birthday in Mount Sinai, and my sister Ana emailed me a birthday e-card with the song “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. That song gave me strength to keep fighting. While in the hospital, I kept thinking about my dream with God and discovering Akiane and The Prince of Peace. It gave me strength. On my birthday, I promised God that if He saved my life once again, I would become an artist. I promised nothing would stop me.
They put me on various medications that I could tolerate, which at first helped with the crippling anxiety and depression. Slowly I began eating and drinking again and was sent home a few weeks later. I was on many medications for years, including antidepressants, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, a mood stabilizer, anxiety medications, and medical marijuana. A week after being discharged, I had my first pulmonary embolism and landed in Stamford Hospital for another week. After many tests, doctors could not find the cause. I was put on blood thinners for a year, and once again I survived.
I began my artistic journey in January 2015 with financial help from my dear friend Dave to buy art supplies. I began teaching myself to draw and paint. To my surprise I discovered I can paint and draw in a hyper realistic style. I honestly never knew I can work with such high details. I can work in many mediums — gouache, dyes, watercolors, colored pencil, graphite, acrylics, oils, and soft pastels.
I started drawing highly realistic portraits of children after volunteering in a daycare in 2015 doing arts and crafts with children twice a week until COVID. My own inability to ever have children inspired me to learn about kids and be inspired to draw them. I enjoy drawing wildlife, pets, people, children, botanicals, nature, and landscapes, spiritual themes. I don't wish to depict all the pain and suffering I went through. I prefer to depict what inspires me. I believe we have enough darkness and sadness in the world. I want those who view my work to experience beauty, peace, love, and hope and healing.
After having seen so many doctors over the years especially for these unresolved stomach issues that had gotten better but never truly gone. I went to see an infectious disease Dr. Madnoun who realized that I have Marfanoid Habitus and a form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Two forms of rare diseases. Individuals with Marfanoid Habitus can have a slender tall stature, long arms and legs, scoliosis and kyphosis, loose, hypermobile joints that easily extend past normal limits. Some individuals along with this disorder can also have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It was such a relief to finally know what was wrong with me and know it's not all in my head like I was told by so many doctors. Due to a long period without health insurance, followed by reliance on Medicaid I had limited access to specialty care. This contributed to significant delay in the diagnosis of my genetic illnesses. My life took a pivotal turn with the recent diagnosis of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), an immune disorder where my body treats everyday environments as allergic threats. This diagnosis has become the missing piece to the puzzle of these two complicated genetic disorders. This disorder is closely tied to Marfanoid Habitus and EDS.
On June 22, 2018, my beloved 31-year-old nephew Reese, whom I was very close to, died by suicide. This was a very dark time for me and my family. We were very close, and his death made me lose my artistic inspiration for a short time. My sister cheered me up and took me to see Paula Abdul in concert for my birthday, encouraging me to draw a portrait of Paula. Even though I wasn't a VIP, I was lucky enough to meet her backstage and give her a realistic graphite portrait of Paula and her beloved dog Bessie that I had drawn. You can read the full story on my website. I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet her that night. It was truly unforgettable.
I'm very grateful for the connections I've made through social media. I was inspired by a gifted self-taught wildlife artist, Richard Macwee, based in Scotland. He has become one of my best friends. Richard can work in any medium, but his favorite is pastels. He has created his own remarkable style. You can read more about him on my website. His incredible talent inspired me to try pastels in 2019. I fell in love with them and have created over 100 works since. I continued with pastels since I live in a small apartment it became much easier to store. I am very grateful to my sister Marcela who helped me rent a small storage in 2023. This meant I could start painting again and have room to store them.
I feel so blessed to have Richard's friendship. We met shortly after my nephew's death. His kind nature and beautiful artwork truly helped me get my artistic inspiration back. I hope that when things get better financially, we will finally meet in person. My medium of choice has been soft pastels. My pastel drawings resemble paintings. I work with high detail, so my work looks hyper realistic. Each piece takes me many hours to complete — anywhere from 40 to 300 hours, depending on size and complexity.
In 2018, I became good friends with Elyse, an incredibly gifted artist and spiritualist who helped me open my spiritual side even more. She has been an amazing role model and support. Her guidance has been such a blessing. With her help, I discovered the book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. Because of my reading disability, I began listening to her audiobooks, and it has been the best cognitive therapy I've ever done. Since then, I have been working harder on self-love, self-healing, and spiritual growth.
Spiritual growth has become a big part of my life. I discovered many amazing people who have become sources of inspiration and role models. I discovered Ismael Perez, a cosmic ambassador and spiritual historian and author of two incredible books that helped me in my spiritual growth even more. Elyse also opened my eyes to the dangers of high doses of pharmaceuticals, especially psychiatric medications taken long-term. After experiencing a second pulmonary embolism in March 2021 with no explanation, I took Elyse's advice seriously and began my own research. By this time I was on a cocktail of medications including medical marijuana.
After a lot of investigation, I realized that the combination of medications I was on had contributed to my two pulmonary embolisms and a scar on my lung. Most doctors were not supporting me with my decision of coming off most of my medications. With the support of my primary physician Dr. Walsh, at this time I was able to lower the dose on a few of them but it became very challenging to come off the rest of them. So I was forced to stop. At this time I continued with my art and it helped me cope.
These medications and medical marijuana not only caused two pulmonary embolisms but also contributed to Barrett's esophagus and worsened my gastritis and a scar on my lung. I began taking a more holistic approach, mostly through a clean organic diet and some herbal remedies, which have worked wonders for me. When I survived the second pulmonary embolism, it became even clearer that I am alive to inspire others through my story and my art.
On February 16, 2023, one of my biggest dreams came true after nine years of dreaming about this moment. I got to meet Akiane Kramarik and thank her in person for inspiring me to become an artist. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. You can read the full story of me meeting Akiane Kramarik. When I saw the Prince of Peace Painting for the first time on April 7th of 2023 I asked Him to help me come off most of these medications. With the help of my supportive primary physician Dr. Walsh I began weaning off the cocktail of medications including medical marijuana. I have been off medical marijuana since 2024. I no longer have Barrett's esophagus. It has reversed itself. I am now 90% pharmaceutical medication free. I am hoping to one day become completely free from pharmaceutical drugs. Coming off most of these medications has been challenging but worth it. I can think more clearly and also I am able to be more creative and create with more ease.
Since 2015 I have created over 150 works of art. I began entering some local exhibits, and during COVID I began entering national and international online competitions. I have been accepted and recognized in over 450 exhibitions and have won over 300 awards. My story has been published on various online sites since 2017, and my work so far has been featured in 18 art magazines.
I'm so honored and blessed that the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases in Washington, D.C., chose me as one of the winners of the EveryLife art competition in 2022. I entered and won with a pastel piece titled A Mother's Love. The inspiration came from my inability to have children due to my illness. A Mother's Love has won 15 awards and been featured in four magazines so far. It was such an honor to go to Capitol Hill in March 2023 and be part of the exhibit. The EveryLife Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering the rare disease community to advocate for impactful, science-driven legislation that advances equitable access to life-saving diagnoses, treatments, and cures. During my visit to Capitol Hill, I asked Connecticut Senators and emailed them to help create a program to help low-income disabled artists afford quality art supplies, which are so expensive. I remain hopeful they will support it.
It would be a dream to create a program that helps low-income disabled artists buy quality art supplies at a reduced cost. I believe it would motivate them to explore their creativity. For me, art helps with depression and anxiety and helps me cope with my disabilities. Lowering the cost would give those with low income a chance to express their creativity as therapy. Art supplies have become extremely expensive in the past few years. With the cost of living so high, they have become difficult to afford. I remain hopeful that with the new administration, this dream will one day become reality.
I feel I am being guided by God and many angels who have given me strength to endure everything and share my story. With God's help and His team of angels, I have been able to ground myself and remain optimistic. I am incredibly grateful and blessed to be alive and doing so well despite my condition. I am truly fortunate to have migrated with my family to the U.S. I am very hopeful for the future and hope to continue sharing my miraculous, inspirational story with the world.
I hope to begin to write my autobiography in 2027 and through my story and art I can inspire others to never lose hope and to pick up a pencil and brush and start creating.