My name is Linda Lynch and I am an advanced stage ovarian cancer survivor. I believe it is so important to take responsibility for our health after my experience. I came very close to death and in the process turned to art to help me heal and keep me sane. After I survived the initial radical surgery and chemotherapy, I felt rage, anger, and sadness. I watched my newfound friends die one by one, and I kept dealing with serious and painful complications. I have always had a positive attitude, and had my faith, yet I needed something more. I worked with an art therapist to work through issues that I was unable to talk about or even think about. I used a variety of different mediums, painting, writing, scribbling, slashing, depending on my moods. I was able to let go of the pain and anger, and deal with the feelings of fear and sadness. I journaled, allowing myself to write without thinking. It is enlightening to see how powerful the art and journaling has been. I created anger and healing art journals in my journey. Some of my best work was done during very trying times and was published in a national art magazine.

I am sharing my story with you in order to help people realize the potential healing that art can afford. I worked through the painful stages and am now enjoying creating jewelry, altered books, altered tins, altered cigar boxes, collages, and more. I am continually amazed at how calming and soothing creating can be. During the last four and a half years with four major surgeries, many hospitalizations and chemotherapy, I truly found that art helped me cope with the pain and the healing process. I will be celebrating my "Five Year Cancer Free" anniversary in November, and plan to create an altered book about my experience. I am so grateful that I had a second chance!

In addition to being a member of the creative design team for Altered Arts magazine, Linda is a writer, mixed-media artist, and publisher living in Bend, Oregon with her husband and Golden Retriever Missy. Linda's artwork is sold in local boutiques and galleries. She also creates antique lens necklaces that can be purchased on her website: http://www.itsmysite.com/sanitysite.

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