A few weeks ago, I suffered a neurological event that caused me to be temporarily blinded. It took a few days for my vision to return to “normal,” and I have been suffering from severe migraines and headaches since then. There have only been two days when I felt normal and falsely felt I had recovered.

I am not someone who regularly gets migraines. Before this, I had had two of them in my entire life. However, the symptoms of what I have been experiencing don’t line up with a typical migraine. I had hoped that this was something that would pass, but once I hit the 2-week mark, I realized that this was not a simple illness that would go away on its own.

After some discussion with my partner about my ability to work, we decided that the best move going forward would be to end the show series at ManRay because it requires an enormous amount of effort from me. The constant headaches have made it impossible for me to read or look at computer screens for a full day of work.

Additionally, I do not have health insurance, and this new financial burden adds to the reasons why we must cancel the show.

My first appointment to determine the root cause of this led to me being sent to the emergency room, and while the most serious possibilities have thankfully been eliminated, I still am seeking a diagnosis. I am very aware that it is unlikely that I will return to full-time work anytime soon.

At this point, it is not feasible to try to keep the ManRay show series going, and I strongly feel that the best option is to cancel the show now.

Josiah and I plan to continue with the two seasonal shows we have scheduled in Salem: We All Fall Down on August 31st, and the Salem Yule Marketplace on December 14th. It is possible to arrange the workload for these shows around “good days,” and getting help with an extended time frame is easier.

Josiah and I greatly appreciate your generosity and consideration from ManRay and the vendors working with us as we tried to grow this show. We very much enjoyed working with you, and hope that this medical emergency turns out to be something that allows us to return in the future, and that you enjoy success in all of your future endeavors.

If you are a vendor who is already paid for a show date at ManRay, we would like to work with you to either reschedule you for one of the Salem shows, or offer you a refund if our schedules are not meshing.

If you have been accepted to ManRay, but have not yet paid, you will be given priority consideration for the upcoming dates in Salem.

I have already sent emails to all vendors affected by this. If this is the first time you have heard about this, please check your inbox for your email.