After being diagnosed in 2012 with stage II invasive ductal carcinoma, a type of breast cancer, I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, surgery to remove an axillary lymph node, and radiation. In 2013, I started tamoxifen chemotherapy for 5 years, which led to side effects such as hair loss and muscle pain. This experience has changed my outlook on life.
Painting and drawing have always been an important part of my life, but since my cancer experience, art has become a wonderful source for mental and emotional healing.
This acrylic painting shows my search for calmness and patience throughout
the cancer storm. I used nutritious foods and supplements to boost my hair.
Disheartened at times, but like a tree that loses its leaves in autumn, I knew
that spring was just around the corner.
This painting depicts my sense of a
new kind of love. In an instant, a group
of women like me, survivors, younger
and older, from different backgrounds,
bonded with an unspoken assurance
that we were all in this together.
