I am really looking forward to finding out where the painting process leads you on this one. It's a powerful piece already. I'm grateful you are doing this series. It's so important. And even though it's geared toward younger women diagnosed with breast cancer, women of all ages will see themselves in the paintings.
Eileen and others are spot-on. Doctors and others in the medical community do tend to be more dismissive of women, regardless of disease or ailment. So unacceptable. Reminds me of all the women who've left comments over the years regarding aromatase inhibitors and their side effects. So many have felt unseen and not heard. Things are improving, but man, it's been slow.
I'm sorry you felt dismissed before your diagnosis was made. I was a "young old" at time of my diagnosis, if that makes sense. Thank you for sharing your story and your art. Both are needed in this world. x
Thank you so much, Nancy, for your support. I agree that although the series puts the spotlight on younger women with breast cancer, any woman and her loved ones can relate. I'm hoping the series will help validate women's concerns and feelings and experiences.
Ah yes, those aromatase inhibitors. I took them for about two and a half years until I could no longer breathe without pain. Then my oncologist took me off. I felt like a failure, but truth be told, the medicine failed me, not the other way around. By the way, I love your series on aromatase inhibitors. I totally related to those posts.
I totally get "young old." Now I'm old old, which is what my daughter says I am. LOL
Another beautiful sketch, Beth. 💜Unfortunately, physicians can be dismissive of women of all ages. I’m always grateful for the wonderful treatment I had for breast cancer, but there’s a lot of after effects and collateral damage that has stayed with me for more than 10 years and continuing. I think they just don’t know what to do with us.
Thank you for your perspective, Eileen. Like you, I have had collateral damage from treatments. All we can ever do is take care of ourselves and hope and pray for the best.
I can deeply relate to your experience Beth. I was also diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, at 32. Your words about the dismissive attitudes of some medical professionals and the societal expectations that downplay the reality of younger women facing this disease really resonate with me. And your nude series Beth! It's incredibly moving and powerful. I am in thrall to it.
Hi Marie, thank you so much for your kind words about my series. It's definitely a challenge! But so worthwhile. I'm so sorry about your going through this hell when you were so young (of course, it's awful at any age). Doctors often minimize women, let alone younger women.
Beth, it's chilling to read how dismissive the medical establishment can be. They are trained to spend the least bit of time with their patients and often, come to their clients with their own set agendas, rather than listening carefully. Betrayal is a horrific experience that does tremendous damage to someone. Thank you for sharing this painful episode in your cancer journey and for relating it to the urgency you feel to get the message out to others, it's so important to share what we know--even if it comes with reliving some of that trauma. I'm anxious to see the evolution of your drawing, it's so powerful!
Thank you so much for your insightful comment. Yes, the medical establishment can be so dismissive and, in doing so, wind up missing real health problems. Not only did my body betray me, but so did a handful of physicians, who were more interested in seeing that nothing was wrong with me than really investigating my concerns.
You used a great word -- urgency -- to describe my conveying my message. I do feel it's urgent to get the word out to everyone about the importance of questioning those in the medical establishment and persisting in letting our concerns be taken seriously.
I love this post and this intimate conversation. The body speaks its own language that our minds do not always understand, but to give it voice and to create art is such an act of radical self-love. Thank you for creating all of this right here right now.
Your story is a powerful reminder that health is not guaranteed, no matter how well we care for ourselves, and that dismissive assumptions in healthcare can have devastating consequences. Your art series is a deeply moving way to amplify the voices of those navigating cancer, especially young individuals, offering both connection and catharsis in the face of such a profound betrayal of trust in our bodies and systems. Thank you for sharing, as always
It is, indeed, unfortunate that so many people are dismissed by their medical care providers when patients voice their concerns. People universally want to be heard.
There are no guarantees in life. All we can do is take care of ourselves and hope for the best. And when something is amiss, we need to be assertive with our medical providers and advocate for ourselves, another type of self-care.
Thank you for your kind words about my art series. I am hoping that this resonates with many in the breast cancer space.
Beth, Thank you for sharing your breast cancer story here and this lovely art work. Women are still being told it's all in the head and I think we are all tired of it. My PCP is a woman she still brushes off stuff with me despite my best efforts. I applaud your bravery in telling your story here. I share a lot of my health related issues here, but I have one story I still haven't been able to voice. You give me courage, my friend.
I think you are so right that women are often not taken seriously by their physicians. The fact that your PCP brushes stuff off with you and she's a woman is telling.
Sharing our stories helps give us courage, I think. I feel art and words are such powerful, necessary means of expression.
Thank you for your comment. You definitely know a lot more about science than me, and yet so much about the medical system seems a mystery.
I love what you said, "I do believe each person is the expert on whether something is amiss. We’ve lived in our bodies our entire lives." Perfectly said. Yes, we know our bodies oftentimes more than physicians do.
I also agree that loving and appreciating ourselves first and foremost is key. It is also becoming easier for me. I used to put everyone's needs above my own. Art and writing give us a voice, as you know, as you are also an artist and writer.
What a powerful message you are sending, especially in relation to working with the healthcare establishment. They are dismissive at times, and really do not listen to their patients' concerns. Your art speaks volumes and I am certain will resonate with so many people experiencing a similar journey as yours. Great piece.
It's really deflating when a healthcare professional dismisses a patient's concerns. Unfortunately, too many of us have had this happen to us. That's where self-advocacy has to play a role. So many of us were taught at a young age that a doctor's word is golden, but I have found that some doctors are really off kilter.
At the same time, I was fortunate that during treatment, I had stellar, compassionate, caring doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. I was lucky in many ways.
Medical doctors need to be better trained in the art of listening. Their patients can give them powerful and necessary information about the condition of their body, if they are open instead of dismissive. Teach doctors that the MD stands for medical doctor and not medical deity.
Your art is such a large part of healing yourself, and healing others who walk the path of cancer. Your words convey a relationship with that burden and its beauty. The figure in the beginnings of this new piece speaks to a weariness and a longing. She has a lot to say. . .
Powerful essay. Powerful art. Stout heart, Beth. Thank you for sharing your journey. I learn a lot from you.
Thank you for your comment. I love when you say "Teach doctors that the MD stands for medical doctor and not medical deity." I couldn't have said it better, and I couldn't agree with you more. Some physicians have that God complex and feel they have nothing to learn from patients.
That being said, I was lucky in my cancer journey, in that I had unbelievable medical personnel -- doctors, nurses, technicians, etc. who worked tirelessly to save my life. They were kind and generous with their time. They were wonderful.
Yet, if I didn't advocate for myself, the cancer probably would've gone unnoticed in the first place. Self-advocacy is a key to self-care.
You are right: the figure I'm working on has lots to say. This may sound strange, but I do feel that my figures communicate with me. I'm the vehicle through which they tell their stories.
I appreciate your complimentary words. I learn a lot from you, too!
Beth, seeing that figure without the facial features or the hands sends a powerful message to me. Not being seen by the medical establishment or others- being a sort of faceless figure in a flood of patients, and by not having hands signifies a feeling of powerlessness at the diagnosis and all you had to go through. Once you’ve been diagnosed, you lose control of your world as you previously knew it.
The other thing I want to say is that I fear with the recent and increasing tendency of people to disrespect medicine and science in favor of quack cures and things they see on social media, that we might have a bigger problem with cancer in the future. As a (former)healthcare professional I am dumbfounded by the disrespect shown to researchers, doctors, nurses and other people trained in science who do have evidence of the effectiveness of treatments. While the treatments are unpleasant and worse, in many cases they are an opportunity to save lives and by ignoring science people are endangering themselves.
This goes far beyond the anti-vax movement. It’s so frustrating and discouraging for people who spend a good portion of their lives being educated and learning the skills and art of practicing medicine and nursing. Even though I’m retired from that world, it still hits me like a punch in the gut when I hear all these fake “cures” and dismissing science as an “alternative”.
Hi Alene, yes, I want this figure to be without a face and hands, and your interpretation of the painting is a sound one. Truth: diagnosis equals loss of control. To this day, I have control issues as a result of having no damn control over my body and over the treatments.
Yet, I am so very grateful to science, and I know that even though I was sick as hell, the treatments were designed to help save my life. I'm a strong believer in the power of science, and I like the way you describe it: "...the skills and art of practicing medicine and nursing." Very fitting.
I am also incensed about people who discount science and medicine. Look at Pendejo Feo. He suggested quack treatments for Covid. Our society is filled with ignorant imbeciles, and they want to stay ignorant.
From a patient's perspective, I get really annoyed when people suggest that I need such-and-such a diet, that the reason I got cancer was because of diet issues. Bullcrap. There's a real blame game going on, and I've had to unfriend people on Facebook, who I felt were toxic to me (and to the world at large). Their ideas are beyond weird and nothing short of quackery.
Hi Beth,
I am really looking forward to finding out where the painting process leads you on this one. It's a powerful piece already. I'm grateful you are doing this series. It's so important. And even though it's geared toward younger women diagnosed with breast cancer, women of all ages will see themselves in the paintings.
Eileen and others are spot-on. Doctors and others in the medical community do tend to be more dismissive of women, regardless of disease or ailment. So unacceptable. Reminds me of all the women who've left comments over the years regarding aromatase inhibitors and their side effects. So many have felt unseen and not heard. Things are improving, but man, it's been slow.
I'm sorry you felt dismissed before your diagnosis was made. I was a "young old" at time of my diagnosis, if that makes sense. Thank you for sharing your story and your art. Both are needed in this world. x
Thank you so much, Nancy, for your support. I agree that although the series puts the spotlight on younger women with breast cancer, any woman and her loved ones can relate. I'm hoping the series will help validate women's concerns and feelings and experiences.
Ah yes, those aromatase inhibitors. I took them for about two and a half years until I could no longer breathe without pain. Then my oncologist took me off. I felt like a failure, but truth be told, the medicine failed me, not the other way around. By the way, I love your series on aromatase inhibitors. I totally related to those posts.
I totally get "young old." Now I'm old old, which is what my daughter says I am. LOL
Stunning, absolutely stunning, beautiful artwork of yours!
Thank you so much, Christine! I have always appreciated your artistry and your opinion. :)
Another beautiful sketch, Beth. 💜Unfortunately, physicians can be dismissive of women of all ages. I’m always grateful for the wonderful treatment I had for breast cancer, but there’s a lot of after effects and collateral damage that has stayed with me for more than 10 years and continuing. I think they just don’t know what to do with us.
Thank you for your perspective, Eileen. Like you, I have had collateral damage from treatments. All we can ever do is take care of ourselves and hope and pray for the best.
I can deeply relate to your experience Beth. I was also diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, at 32. Your words about the dismissive attitudes of some medical professionals and the societal expectations that downplay the reality of younger women facing this disease really resonate with me. And your nude series Beth! It's incredibly moving and powerful. I am in thrall to it.
Hi Marie, thank you so much for your kind words about my series. It's definitely a challenge! But so worthwhile. I'm so sorry about your going through this hell when you were so young (of course, it's awful at any age). Doctors often minimize women, let alone younger women.
So true Beth. I'd like to think things have improved in the last two decades - I am not sure they completely have though
Beth, it's chilling to read how dismissive the medical establishment can be. They are trained to spend the least bit of time with their patients and often, come to their clients with their own set agendas, rather than listening carefully. Betrayal is a horrific experience that does tremendous damage to someone. Thank you for sharing this painful episode in your cancer journey and for relating it to the urgency you feel to get the message out to others, it's so important to share what we know--even if it comes with reliving some of that trauma. I'm anxious to see the evolution of your drawing, it's so powerful!
Hi Gerry,
Thank you so much for your insightful comment. Yes, the medical establishment can be so dismissive and, in doing so, wind up missing real health problems. Not only did my body betray me, but so did a handful of physicians, who were more interested in seeing that nothing was wrong with me than really investigating my concerns.
You used a great word -- urgency -- to describe my conveying my message. I do feel it's urgent to get the word out to everyone about the importance of questioning those in the medical establishment and persisting in letting our concerns be taken seriously.
I love this post and this intimate conversation. The body speaks its own language that our minds do not always understand, but to give it voice and to create art is such an act of radical self-love. Thank you for creating all of this right here right now.
Thank you for your wise and kind words. The world needs artists of all types.
It sure does!
Your story is a powerful reminder that health is not guaranteed, no matter how well we care for ourselves, and that dismissive assumptions in healthcare can have devastating consequences. Your art series is a deeply moving way to amplify the voices of those navigating cancer, especially young individuals, offering both connection and catharsis in the face of such a profound betrayal of trust in our bodies and systems. Thank you for sharing, as always
So true.
Absolutely, Corie. Thanks!
Hi Sara,
It is, indeed, unfortunate that so many people are dismissed by their medical care providers when patients voice their concerns. People universally want to be heard.
There are no guarantees in life. All we can do is take care of ourselves and hope for the best. And when something is amiss, we need to be assertive with our medical providers and advocate for ourselves, another type of self-care.
Thank you for your kind words about my art series. I am hoping that this resonates with many in the breast cancer space.
Absolutely, advocacy and care go hand in hand <3 What a lovely space for community you have created.
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and your creativity. Be well, dear one.
Beth, Thank you for sharing your breast cancer story here and this lovely art work. Women are still being told it's all in the head and I think we are all tired of it. My PCP is a woman she still brushes off stuff with me despite my best efforts. I applaud your bravery in telling your story here. I share a lot of my health related issues here, but I have one story I still haven't been able to voice. You give me courage, my friend.
Hi Pamela,
I think you are so right that women are often not taken seriously by their physicians. The fact that your PCP brushes stuff off with you and she's a woman is telling.
Sharing our stories helps give us courage, I think. I feel art and words are such powerful, necessary means of expression.
I appreciate your comment.
The human body is such a complex system that cause and effect can be very difficult to understand.
Coming from a science educational perspective, it’s still impossible to know what to believe and how to proceed through the medical system.
But, I do believe each person is the expert on whether something is amiss. We’ve lived in our bodies our entire lives.
If only we were taught how to love and appreciate ourselves before all else. Thankfully, it’s becoming easier for me.
And expressing ourselves through creative means like your artwork and writing are potent healing tools.
That, and poetry:)
Hi Dawn,
Thank you for your comment. You definitely know a lot more about science than me, and yet so much about the medical system seems a mystery.
I love what you said, "I do believe each person is the expert on whether something is amiss. We’ve lived in our bodies our entire lives." Perfectly said. Yes, we know our bodies oftentimes more than physicians do.
I also agree that loving and appreciating ourselves first and foremost is key. It is also becoming easier for me. I used to put everyone's needs above my own. Art and writing give us a voice, as you know, as you are also an artist and writer.
What a powerful message you are sending, especially in relation to working with the healthcare establishment. They are dismissive at times, and really do not listen to their patients' concerns. Your art speaks volumes and I am certain will resonate with so many people experiencing a similar journey as yours. Great piece.
So true. I am going to share it with my sister-in-law who survived breast cancer.
I hope your sister-in-law is doing well. I'm so glad you found my Substack.
Thank you so much, Nancy.
It's really deflating when a healthcare professional dismisses a patient's concerns. Unfortunately, too many of us have had this happen to us. That's where self-advocacy has to play a role. So many of us were taught at a young age that a doctor's word is golden, but I have found that some doctors are really off kilter.
At the same time, I was fortunate that during treatment, I had stellar, compassionate, caring doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. I was lucky in many ways.
I appreciate your readership and comment!
Medical doctors need to be better trained in the art of listening. Their patients can give them powerful and necessary information about the condition of their body, if they are open instead of dismissive. Teach doctors that the MD stands for medical doctor and not medical deity.
Your art is such a large part of healing yourself, and healing others who walk the path of cancer. Your words convey a relationship with that burden and its beauty. The figure in the beginnings of this new piece speaks to a weariness and a longing. She has a lot to say. . .
Powerful essay. Powerful art. Stout heart, Beth. Thank you for sharing your journey. I learn a lot from you.
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for your comment. I love when you say "Teach doctors that the MD stands for medical doctor and not medical deity." I couldn't have said it better, and I couldn't agree with you more. Some physicians have that God complex and feel they have nothing to learn from patients.
That being said, I was lucky in my cancer journey, in that I had unbelievable medical personnel -- doctors, nurses, technicians, etc. who worked tirelessly to save my life. They were kind and generous with their time. They were wonderful.
Yet, if I didn't advocate for myself, the cancer probably would've gone unnoticed in the first place. Self-advocacy is a key to self-care.
You are right: the figure I'm working on has lots to say. This may sound strange, but I do feel that my figures communicate with me. I'm the vehicle through which they tell their stories.
I appreciate your complimentary words. I learn a lot from you, too!
Beth, seeing that figure without the facial features or the hands sends a powerful message to me. Not being seen by the medical establishment or others- being a sort of faceless figure in a flood of patients, and by not having hands signifies a feeling of powerlessness at the diagnosis and all you had to go through. Once you’ve been diagnosed, you lose control of your world as you previously knew it.
The other thing I want to say is that I fear with the recent and increasing tendency of people to disrespect medicine and science in favor of quack cures and things they see on social media, that we might have a bigger problem with cancer in the future. As a (former)healthcare professional I am dumbfounded by the disrespect shown to researchers, doctors, nurses and other people trained in science who do have evidence of the effectiveness of treatments. While the treatments are unpleasant and worse, in many cases they are an opportunity to save lives and by ignoring science people are endangering themselves.
This goes far beyond the anti-vax movement. It’s so frustrating and discouraging for people who spend a good portion of their lives being educated and learning the skills and art of practicing medicine and nursing. Even though I’m retired from that world, it still hits me like a punch in the gut when I hear all these fake “cures” and dismissing science as an “alternative”.
Hi Alene, yes, I want this figure to be without a face and hands, and your interpretation of the painting is a sound one. Truth: diagnosis equals loss of control. To this day, I have control issues as a result of having no damn control over my body and over the treatments.
Yet, I am so very grateful to science, and I know that even though I was sick as hell, the treatments were designed to help save my life. I'm a strong believer in the power of science, and I like the way you describe it: "...the skills and art of practicing medicine and nursing." Very fitting.
I am also incensed about people who discount science and medicine. Look at Pendejo Feo. He suggested quack treatments for Covid. Our society is filled with ignorant imbeciles, and they want to stay ignorant.
From a patient's perspective, I get really annoyed when people suggest that I need such-and-such a diet, that the reason I got cancer was because of diet issues. Bullcrap. There's a real blame game going on, and I've had to unfriend people on Facebook, who I felt were toxic to me (and to the world at large). Their ideas are beyond weird and nothing short of quackery.
Thank you for your input. I appreciate it.