Best of all, she'd regained partial use of her left arm and could walk again. The icing on the cake came when the girl sold two of her paintings. I just thank God. Not all students face Sammy's challenges. Some are troubled by broken homes or even the normal difficulties of teen-age years.
Students spend four to six months on their paintings.
It provides a sanctuary for them, Mandeville said. It can even lead to a brighter life and some extra income. Four of this year's students will attend art colleges this fall. Mandeville has taught therapeutic art since 1968. From 1968-79, she ran a therapeutic art class at Boston's Deaconess Hospital.