MACON, Ga. — There isn’t much that you can find good about cancer.
Treatment can ravage a body, rob you of your finances and even alter your taste buds.
But some patients at Navicent Health have found a haven of sorts by putting color on canvas.
“I didn't sleep well last night, [I] woke up about a half an hour earlier than I needed to this morning and thought to myself if I could call in sick for this treatment I would call in sick,” said Julie German.
Except she can’t call in sick for chemotherapy, she has uterine cancer.
“You do dread trying to come. You know knowing they’re putting those chemicals into your body and it's supposed to be good for you but the side effects are so rough,” said German.
Cancer is the devil in the room. People come to the seventh floor at Navicent to get treatment, but they can also get a dose of art therapy.
It’s Jane Boxton’s second round with breast cancer.
“Keep your mind off of it… have your mind go somewhere else. [It] keeps you from thinking about the treatment,” said Boxton.
“Sometimes you’re stuck here for several hours,” said German.
And time isn't a friend when you're battling a foe -- it gives you time to dwell.
Many times, Julie works to keep her mind busy, but on this day, she opted for art.
“I am painting, or attempting to paint, a bouquet of African violets,” she said.
There is research out there that says that painting is good for folks getting chemotherapy, it helps them fight cancer.
“For example, there’s a scholarly article on African-American women and it decreases blood pressure so research is ongoing, but I think they're only finding positive responses from this,” said nursing director Jill Hancock.
Hancock says she’s seen what a few brushstrokes can accomplish.
“You know I've seen my patients posting on Facebook that day about how art therapy relaxed them and how they had the best day ever at chemo today and to have someone tell you they had a good day while getting chemotherapy…that's pretty amazing,” said Hancock.
Cancer is still cancer, and Julie will always have some anxiety about the needle, but painting can calm her and help her outlook no matter what the future may hold.
There is no charge for the art therapy program. Navicent also has an outpatient art program over at the Peyton Anderson Cancer Center on the third Tuesday of the month.
It's for the patients, and they can also bring a caregiver with them. For more information, you can call 478-633-8537.
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