Welcome to Episode 3 of The Accidental Muralist Podcast, and to my first-ever interview!

Today’s guest is my dear long-time friend, Patti Carey. One of the many reasons I chose her as my first interviewee (besides the chance to reminisce about our Jr High JV doubles days) is to share the work she does at the intersection of art and health.

Patti is a survivor of stage 3 breast cancer. Her experience undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and the gamut of related (and ongoing) treatments fundamentally changed how she prioritizes her life. We talk about “striving” behaviors that can lead to devastating health outcomes, and what healing really means, especially once a patient has “beaten" cancer. Then what? Our current medical system pays little attention to what happens next, which is the gap in care and expertise Patti aims to fill.

One question I think about a lot is this: Can people wake up to the dangers of living in constant overdrive mode before their bodies revolt by shutting down somehow? I didn’t, Patti didn’t, but maybe you can—or your daughters and friends can. As always, art can help!