Michael Rees is a sculptor, a professor and a survivor of HPV-linked throat cancer. Being an artist, Rees tells SurvivorNet, he chose to look at his cancer journey — even when it got tough — as a unique experience that would present an interesting set of challenges.
“I had this sense that having this cancer would be an adventure,” Rees says. “Even as I was in exquisite pain with a migraine headache, I was like, ‘Oh look, there are 14 points in my head that I’m able to observe.'”
Acknowledging that he of course experienced “normal” feelings such as fear and nervousness, Rees says he was also open to learning new things about himself and his body. He looked at his own pain as something that he could see and observe. RELATED: Painting & Dreaming — How I Got Through Cancer Treatment “It might open up parts of me that were closed at this point,” Rees says. “Experiencing extreme pain or experiencing something like a migraine headache or something like that. … I’m an artist, so I find seeing things in your mind to be a very interesting phenomenon.”
He adds, “We’re all going to die, we’re all on this adventure together. Why not turn it into some kind of adventure? Time goes on.”
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