A brush with life:
Breast cancer survivors paint for a good cause
A few local breast cancer survivors and their family and friends spent Monday painting pictures representing their journey with the disease. Those pictures will be unveiled Oct. 7 at ArtSpark and will be displayed throughout October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“We have 48 panels to fill,” said Amy Fowler, chairman of the survivors committee for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Texarkana. “Individuals paint something that represents how they feel or they can do it as a tribute. We can give them ideas if they need ideas.”
Phoebie Boley, a four-year breast cancer survivor, was at the church finishing her picture for the art wall. The message she chose to share is “The C in Christ is bigger than the C in cancer.”
“Doing this gives me the opportunity to help somebody else going through the same thing I went through,” she said.
Boley was 45 years old when she discovered a lump in her breast during a self-examination. She had regular mammograms but knew what she found could be a sign of breast cancer.
She called her doctor and got an appointment. Testing determined that it was breast cancer, a diagnosis that scared her.
“I called a lady I knew that had had breast cancer because I was really scared. She would call me every day to check on me and see how I was doing. She was a breast cancer survivor and she was a big support to me,” Boley said.
After chemotherapy and radiation, Boley was determined to be cancer-free.
She loves having the opportunity to help others going through the battle she’s already been through.
“It means a lot to be able to paint a picture that could help someone else,” she said.
Race for the Cure takes place at 9 a.m. Oct. 19. Early registration is at 7 a.m., and the opening ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. at Front Street Plaza in downtown Texarkana.
To register or for more information, visit komenarkansas.org/ south-west-region-texarkana/.