When I painted this a few years ago, I knew how many women face this battle, but never knew how close to home it would be. I auctioned it off and donated the money to Susan G. Komen for a Cure (the charity chosen by my wonderful collector) and at it felt good knowing I helped the cause a little. Then maybe a year later I received an email from the Komen organization letting people know that you could submit your art to be in the calendar. I had the perfect piece! I submitted and the voting began. I was happy to hear that mine was one of the twelve that was chosen to be in the 2016 Susan Komen For A Cure calendar but had know idea that it would hit this close to home.
When submitted you were asked to tell your story. Nowadays, nearly everyone has been affected by breast cancer in some way, and I was no different. But I was not a survivor, I was a supporter, which today could not be more true. At the time, my story was that my grandma had past from cancer and that I had been told I had a lump that needs to be biopsied. Fast forward to today, after I received the calendars and brought a few up for my mom to see and to hand out, we had no idea the she would be added to my breast cancer "story". We hadn't even been to the Dr. to have a biopsy of the growth on her skin on her breast bone area, yet. So we knew nothing, nothing at all. But she looked at the calendar strangely, saying how coincidental and amazing that my painting was in it.
I told her to stop it and that she'd be ok. It was probably nothing. But I was worried too. They biopsied the area and the Dr. said it was most likely skin cancer. To our surprise it came back as breast cancer and so the journey begins. She's scheduled for a mastectomy by the end of the month. Tomorrow is the PET scan then a bone scan. There was a dark area on her sternum. I'm going to be strong for her. She's not only my mom, she really is my best friend. I moved to this tiny town 15 years ago to be close to her and live 5 minutes away. We talk several times a day, she's my person.
I'm taking a break from Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge because I'm taking her to town several times a week which takes the full day. We live and hour from civilization and now, with roadwork, and an unbelievably ridiculous 45 minute wait, it's more like 2 hours and that's just one way! I'm thinking she'll have to move down there and I might have to go with. So you can understand how painting one painting everyday is not really possible. I do however need to keep painting for me. My art has always been therapy for me and my anxiety, panic attacks, and mild depression, but today it's therapy to keep my mind off what's happening and to recharge myself to be the supporter I'm meant to be. I know now that as hard as I've tried to move away from this tiny town, something keeps me here. I actually moved away in 2010 but here I am again. This is the reason. This is my purpose.
Sorry to be so serious on my art blog. Art is a very personal thing though and it's hard to disconnect what's going on in my life and my art. My art has always been a reflection of my emotions brought on by my life's journey and now more than ever it will be here for me. There I go again, getting all serious! Hopefully my next post will have a new painting to share. I actually am inspired strangely enough.
