Down the Rabbit Hole, collage, 2017 by Julianna Paradisi
Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to show some of my paintings and speak to a live audience about the challenges of being an artist, healer, and breast cancer survivor. Artists, Healers, and Breast Cancer Survivors: A Window into Their World was also the name of the show.
My talk took listeners through the primary events of my diagnosis, treatment, and transitioning from cancer survivor to artist and writer. When I completed treatment I was told there was a 32% chance I wouldn’t survive the next ten years. I considered then, if these were the last ten years of my life What was it I wanted to do?
I came up with three things:
- I wanted to love deeply, and be deeply loved by the same person
- I wanted to be an artist
- I wanted people to say nice things about me when I die (this one is the hardest 😀)
And then a funny thing happened on my way home from the medical oncologist’s office: I lived.
In March 2019 I celebrate twenty years since my diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.
As I heard myself speak to the roomful of other cancer survivors and colleagues, I experienced the sudden realization I have reached my goals. Although all three need continual care and practice, the time has come for me to think about what comes next. What new goals should I set? How do I become a better version of myself?
After all I’ve been through in my life I should have been better prepared. When you decide to ask the questions, you need to be ready for the answers. Asking life challenging questions with intention is Going Down the Rabbit Hole, Part II. 2018 has been a year of renewed discovery, self-reflection, and a little bit of rocking the boat. It’s been a year of fabulous highs and a few painful lows. Just like surviving cancer, I am stronger for it.
As 2018 comes to an end, I face 2019 with renewed intention and focus.
I’ll be writing more about the process.
