I was 20 years old when I landed a summer job as an architecture trainee. When I started I really felt I needed to prove myself. So I decided to work long hours in the hopes of impressing my boss. Outside of work I'd also agreed to take on another project. A friend of mine said he needed an illustrator for a children's book he was publishing - so I jumped at the opportunity, thrilled at the thought of getting paid for my illustrations. That summer I ended up working roughly 10-15 hours per day. I felt very proud of myself for working so hard and I remember joking about my arms the day I started noticing a slight tingling sensation in my fingers. if I had only known...

I had a few weeks left of my internship so I decided to work through the discomfort..but it proved impossible. Within a matter of days my left arm started cramping, my thumb started twitching and I lost all strength in my fingers so I was forced to switch the mouse over to my left hand. Still optimistic, I decided I could easily learn how to work with my left hand,