For six years, Carla Mae Pornel Matriano, 34, has been battling breast cancer. Now, a patient in the palliative care unit at Sunnybrook, art therapy has allowed her to deal with her current diagnosis and express her emotions in a positive way.
Prior to her illness, Carla Mae played the cello and sang not only to express herself but also as a coping mechanism. However, now as breathing has become more and more difficult and with right-sided lymphedema, playing the cello with a ten pound bowing arm is simply not possible.
Initially, Carla Mae was hesitant to take part in art therapy because her mindset was that of a musician and not a visual artist. However, all that changed during the first encounter with her art therapist, Sharona Bookbinder.
At a legacy workshop, paired with music being played in the background, feelings of nostalgia filled her heart as she created a mosaic mirror. Without any thought, she found herself gravitating towards pastels, colours that reminded her of her childhood and her younger sister.
“This first experience with art therapy, unearthed so many pleasant memories. I felt like I was in a dream-like state by the time our session ended,” she recalls.
“I now look forward to Friday afternoons in the ceramics studio. When I enter that space, I always feel like I’m walking into a secret garden, a magical place where there’s no judgment and I can just be myself.”
Along with healing her wounds, art therapy has enabled Carla Mae to experience and create new positive memories, feel calm yet also recharged. At the same time, it has allowed her to tap into other abilities that otherwise would have remained untouched.
“When I lift that brush and start painting, each stroke feels so soothing, that it reminds me of each resonating string on my old cello.”
