A contemporary painter creates abstract relational messages. By Kristi McCann photo s by anthony jinson
“My doctor told me I had a 50/50 chance of living,” Jenny McGee says. And though those words are powerful enough to fill anyone with fear and anxiety, Jenny’s response to her personal statistic was, “Don’t we all?” The profound statement hangs in the air when she repeats it, and attached to it is a “take that” attitude. For Jenny, her diagnosis of breast cancer was not the ending but the beginning of something beautiful. Hanging proudly in Dr. Michael Trendle’s office at Missouri Cancer Associates is a piece of artwork by Jenny. Entitled Hate Cancer, Love a Cure, the image depicts a hand with its middle finger confidently raised up. And as Jenny describes the piece in detail, she can’t help but smile. From afar, the piece depicts a rather vulgar message surrounded by the beauty of flowers and bright colors. But upon taking a closer look, you can see the true details the work portrays. The base of the hand is supported by “CANCER,” bold and in all caps. Above it is a paper mâché-like formation of a hand. “The shredded brochures, which form the hand and middle finger, are the anger of being diagnosed and was an emotional response from receiving all the information and statistics that completely overwhelms you at first,” Jenny says. “The flowers are the hope I was holding onto that I was going to be taken care of and that I could get through the difficulty of cancer. The flowers were the blossoming of hope beyond the hatred.” "Whether you're a patient, family member or staff in the office, the painting expresses a common feeling that everyone has about cancer," says Dr. Trendle. "No one is really offended by it. Most people are in agreement with the sentiment." Dr. Trendle decided to purchase the artwork, along with another breast cancer piece, off of Jenny's website shortly after she was diagnosed and became his patient. "Jenny and her family are very nice people," Dr. Trendle says. "She is a strong and remarkable woman." Jenny’s positivity and spit-fire personality completely mask the extent of her survival story. In 2009, she went to the doctor after discovering a lump in her breast. The doctors performed a needle biopsy and told her she would be fine. Knowing her own body, she insisted she was not fine and urged the doctors to more carefully analyze it. As a result, the doctors concluded that Jenny’s body was being attacked by very aggressive breast cancer. columbiahomemagazine.com | 63