3 Cancer Patients Creatively Inspire Others
A novel, photographic art and a blog with 'Natitude' help these three people cope individually and offer inspiration collectively
It's not what happens to us that counts. It's what we do with it.
Three people who have had treatment for cancer have found their purpose in life. They use their creative pursuits to inspire other cancer patients. At the same time, they benefit from the energizing pursuit of their passion. Because creative people thrive on creating.
All three had careers that required creativity, and all three have found new outlets for their talents.
"Having cancer helped me write from my heart, and to explore feelings, relationships and experience in a deeper way."
Ann Bancroft was a journalist for Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle. More recently, she served as Communications Director for the California Department of Education. Now — "Happy to be 71!" she said — Bancroft divides her time between Sacramento and Coronado, both in California. After her first bout with cancer, she turned her talents to writing stories of her choice and leading writing workshops.
"Having cancer helped me write from my heart, and to explore feelings, relationships and experience in a deeper way," she said.
She expresses herself through a genre she had not used in her career — fiction.
"The awareness of mortality that came with cancer prodded me to go ahead and take the risk of writing about tough experiences and to persist, rather than procrastinate, in writing a novel," said Bancroft.
That novel, "Almost Family," tracks the last months of three middle-aged people with stage 4 cancer who meet in a support group.
Awareness of Mortality
"The three become unlikely friends," Bancroft said, "and decide to form their own little group to simply enjoy outings and conversations with others who 'get it.'"
Through her characters, Bancroft explores topics of vulnerability and family issues. She also allows readers to appreciate the power of peace and acceptance at the end of life.
Steve Caputo, 68, expanded his forms of expression after retirement. Five years ago, before his diagnosis, he left a position as managing director of the New York City office of a national marketing and consulting firm. He lives in Greenlawn, New York.
"Up until last October, I viewed myself as a Fine Arts Landscape Photographer," he said.
"Once I had decided to share my journey, the process became one of marrying an image to the narrative I was attempting to convey."
When he participated in The American Cancer Society's Photo A Day Challenge on social media, Caputo realized his journey might brighten other people's lives. His collection is aptly named Light of Day Gallery.
"My intention at the outset was to offer some insight into cancer treatment for other new patients. In the three months since diagnosis, I was exposed to a world I'd never known (treatments, side effects, support systems). As it evolved, my daily photos and narrative began to relate the faith and positivity I'd come to muster in the face of this adversity," he said.
Caputo discovered his words are as powerful as his photos.
"Once I had decided to share my journey, the process became one of marrying an image to the narrative I was attempting to convey. While I was aware that I had the skill to write effectively, I lacked a purpose and motivation to bring that ability to the surface. The narrative has evolved from one that was more journalistic to one intended to inspire hope."
Nat Rosen organically transitioned to a public form of communication.
"I was not a blogger before my diagnosis," he said, "but I always felt most comfortable expressing myself through the written word."
Rosen, 67, is currently employed as an executive producer for an advertising and marketing media company, focusing on oncology therapies. He lives in Freehold, New Jersey.
"Within minutes of the doctor telling me I had cancer, the Ad Guy in me kicked in and I had a revelation. I decided to start a blog and call myself The Canswer Man," Rosen said.
3 Different Forms of Cancer
As regards the title of his blog, Rosen offers a disclaimer: "The choice of my blog name is not in any way intended to imply that I alone possess the answers to all of the questions that are inevitably bombarding your brain. Quite the opposite."
Just as Bancroft, Caputo and Rosen express themselves in different formats, each has faced a different form of cancer.
Bancroft's diagnosis of breast cancer in 2008 resulted in surgeries (lumpectomy and re-excision), chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy.
"The cancer was in remission until 2021," she said, "when I had a local recurrence (meaning it came back in the same place). That led to a mastectomy and two reconstructive surgeries, the same chemo regimen as I'd had before, and a return to the hormone therapy I'd stopped seven years before. Every six months, I receive infusions aimed at strengthening my bones against potential metastases."
Steve Caputo's experience is much more recent.
"I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July, 2023," he said. "It was initially tagged as stage one (contained to the tumor site), and treatment was to be a course of chemotherapy, radiation and ultimately surgery to remove the tumor. After a PET scan revealed that the cancer has metastasized to the bone (stage four), treatment was changed to an all-chemo regimen."
Nat Rosen has a much different experience. He has a form of cancer he describes as "incurable, but not terminal."
"I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM) in August 2017," he said. He was treated with three rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a round of super chemo. The next step was a stem cell transplant (SCT) using his own cells.
Rosen is now on a maintenance regimen of chemo and monoclonal antibodies (mAb).
"It is undetermined how long I can live," he added. "There is theoretically no known ceiling for me."
The Role of Humor
The uncertainty of life, made real by a cancer diagnosis, changed the way Bancroft, Caputo and Rosen view their creativity. Instead of a job or a hobby, their crafts became conduits to communicate encouragement to other patients.
Humor plays a key role in that communication.
"Don't be afraid to start something new, to take one step at a time toward finishing a project, or to be open to new relationships."
"There's no time and no room for negativity," Caputo said, "so I place my physical well-being in the hands of very capable health professionals and try to stay focused on maintaining a positive state of mind and spirit. I suppose that surfaces as humor and light-heartedness in my writing."
"The best humor lives right at the edge of darkness," Bancroft observed. "I was very frightened when first diagnosed, of course, but over time and with acceptance of the precariousness of my health and life itself, I felt freer, more connected to others, and more lighthearted. That helped me to see the humor in things."
Rosen refers to his tenacity as "Natitude."
"I don't take anything too seriously," he said, "and my blog helps me keep that perspective. My disease is as serious as I choose to make it, and that balance has gotten me to a point of healthy management, without wasting a lot of time fretting or worrying."
"You have a tangible reminder of where you were and where you've gotten to, and you can use that to get through other tough days ahead."
The three offer words of hope to other people who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Bancroft said, "We are all mortal, but life goes on fully until it is over. Don't be afraid to start something new, to take one step at a time toward finishing a project, or to be open to new relationships. Don't worry about the outcome. There's truth in what we've all heard about the joy being in the journey itself."
Caputo suggests, "To all who find themselves on a sudden detour in their life journey, there is no escaping the initial shock, disbelief and dismay of an unfavorable diagnosis. As you move forward, choose hope over despair. Seek peace. You are not alone."
Rosen invites everyone with a medical challenge to find a creative outlet.
"Creativity is less about the construct (ie, writing, painting, cooking, knitting, etc.), and more about feeling better medically and emotionally," he said. "If you end up making something in the process of that healing, then all the better. You have a tangible reminder of where you were and where you've gotten to, and you can use that to get through other tough days ahead."
"But creativity isn't about making something," Rosen added. "It's about making something of yourself."
