"It wasn’t a competition. It was really about the love."
--Iona Parris
Riverview-based artist Parris, known to nearly 15,000 Instagram followers as the Seashell Queen, has been teaching therapeutic Military Mermaid classes through the Wounded Warrior Project.
“It feels wonderful to build that camaraderie together and have each other to lean on, with all of us going through similar experiences,” Parris said.
Her students bond over shared history while swimming in mermaid tails and crafting with shells.
Parris, 35, turned to seashells after returning from her first deployment in 2010. Parris had developed anxiety and PTSD during her time in the Air Force. Whenever she felt down, she would pick up a shell from the collection on her dresser and paint it with nail polish.
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