April 2020 Oil on Canvas. I don&#39;t think I am alone in thinking, hoping, believing, that when I do the best I can, everything may turn out better than expected. However, now that CV-19 has infected our entire planet, my dream&#39;s are smaller. For now, I am simply grateful to be in my 5th year since diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, &amp; receiving modern medicine that has worked well for me.

In the 1976 book &ldquo;First, You Cry,&rdquo; 39-year-old NBC News correspondent Betty Rollin candidly described the &ldquo;swift kick life had just given in the form of breast cancer.&rdquo; Five years later, she reflected, &ldquo;Although cancer was the worst thing that ever happened to me, it was also the best&hellip; Today I feel that losing a breast saved my life, and wasn&rsquo;t I lucky. And when I think of all the other good things that have come from that loss, I just look at that flat place on my body and think: Small price.&rdquo; 
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As I reach the fifth anniversary of my own mastectomy, Betty Rollin inspires me to reflect on all the good things that have come from that loss. My daughter-in-law, Nicole Sundquist, captures my grateful heart in her painting of me, titled &ldquo;Small Price.&rdquo; The piece is oil on canvas. &mdash; Barbra Ely 
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Small Price

I am undergoing chemotherapy for multiple myeloma. An important outlet for me is Zentangle(R), a meditative art form created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas which contributes to pain management and increased focus. It is based on combining structured patterns to create unique images which are non-representational and can be viewed from any angle, with no right or wrong. The Zentangle logo &quot;Anything is possible one stroke at a time(C)&quot; is a good guiding principle for anyone on the journey through treatment. This piece is drawn with a black Micron pen on a standard Zentangle 3-1/2&quot; heavy weight artist tile. I have been practicing Zentangle for several years and teach Zentangle for a local cancer support group.

I Made a Home, and Found a Rainbow

By LAWRENCE Stacey

May 11th, 2020

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