I am a breast cancer survivor. In 2015 I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In 2016, I created the collage “Into the Wild Wood” while receiving treatment for my TNBC and taking Art Therapy classes at Inova Life with Cancer, in Virginia. This collage represents my feelings about my journey through cancer treatment. I received the chemotherapy Taxol, which is made from the Pacific yew tree; the forest represents that therapy. I chose a little girl to represent me, because I felt like a frightened child going into treatment. I made the watercolor painting, “Into the Magical Wood,” in 2020; it reflects the joy of being a survivor. Art classes were so helpful to me in my recovery, that I have become an artist. For me, art can communicate emotions far more clearly than words. Now, the woods are a magical place of healing for me.
