“Art Therapy: A Healing Canvas for Cancer Patients and Survivors”
By Cynthia Yip
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Art can help cancer patients transcend pain and bring hope.
In this Island News exclusive, an artist who is a breast cancer survivor shares her talents with others living with the disease.
Leni Acosta Knight is an International Artist based in Hawaii. She was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and is now in remission. She volunteers her time at Pali Momi Medical Center and Kapiolani Medical Center teaching art to cancer patients and survivors.
“Through cancer you go through some darkness and a lot of fear. And for me, I was able to express my fear and all these things on the canvas. It’s a space for me to heal myself to be happy,” Knight said.
Art has become a therapy to help with healing for cancer patients and survivors. Dr. Kevin Hara was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer a year ago. He took the class to create a cover for a book he is writing.
“I’ve never been an artist and all I even as a kid. You know, I wasn’t the artistic type, but it made me feel good that I could do something. I trained at the Mayo Clinic and they said we should harness the healing power of art,” Dr. Hara said.
Dr. Hara went through surgery and therapy. He is now getting chemo for his cancer. A friend who is also a physician offered him the best prescription for health. He told Dr. Hara , “Don’t look at the stats. You know, keep a positive frame of mind and and you’ll do okay. And so things like this, that art the painting class and everything is all adding to my positive energy and yet is helping me heal and survive and navigate this journey.”
Dr. Hara is also writing a book about his journey called Live Aloha with the art he painted in Leni’s class as its cover. He says, “so can we use the letters of Aloha as stars to guide us through life overcoming these obstacles and and whether it’s cancer or you know, other things, you know, that we encounter in life.”
Dr. Hara’s book is being published through the Mayo Clinic. Follow Island News for updates on its release.
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