Halifax woman embraces ‘blessing’ of terminal cancer 2023

In the spring of 2021, while working long hours as a housekeeper at the emergency department of the Halifax Infirmary, Maria Valverde observed she was having difficulty breathing.

The woman from Halifax hypothesized that COVID-19 or her personal protective equipment could be the cause.

It was, however, terminal lung cancer.

“I definitely should have died in the fall of 2021,” she said. “It was as awful as that. I was unable to even breathe. I mean, the chemotherapy was ineffective.”

But her fortune changed when she became eligible for the $13,000-per-month drug Tagrisso.

Valverde stated, “It provided me with additional time to sort out everything.”

“At that moment, I realized, ‘Wait a minute, you know, I’m not quite ready to perish. I am prepared to fulfill my destiny, which is to be an artist.'”

Valverde, a former student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, has always created art, but it has never been his profession.

Maria Valverde says, “I’m ready to be an artist.”

Valverde is now on long-term disability and focuses on art. Thursday marked the opening of her exhibition Celestial Hunger at Zwicker’s Gallery in downtown Halifax.

The exhibit was inspired by a search for the term pandemic conducted during a work break during the early stages of the pandemic. The Black Death was the bubonic plague that killed an estimated 200 million people commencing in the mid-1300s.

Valverde stated, “I thought, ‘Wow, that’s so uncanny,'” “During the medieval era, this was prevalent, and now look where we are.”

The paintings on display depict life in Halifax during the pandemic.

While it is simple to identify locations such as Point Pleasant Park, The Salvation Army on Gottingen Street, and the Robie Street Esso in the paintings, the poverty in the city is also apparent, whether it be tent dwellers or the rapid increase in homelessness.

The paintings also contain phrases that evoke images of the pandemic, such as “Stay the flames at home,” “quarantine,” and “CERB.”

In the painting The Plague, a hospital housekeeper is depicted cleaning.

Maria’s sister Fiona Valverde remarked, “Art is about responding to something that is happening,” and elaborated, “Art is about responding to something that is happening.” “I believe that is extremely personal in many respects. This is essentially her biography and journey.”

Fiona Valverde deemed her sister inspiring.

Fiona Valverde stated, “It’s entirely up to you how you perceive the world and how you respond to the challenges you face.”

“Make no mistake, it has not been a bed of blossoms. However, she has delved deep, she is resilient, she is a strong person, and she is fighting for her life.”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the artworks in Celestial Hunger will be donated to Shelter Nova Scotia and a fund at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia named after the artist’s father, Jose Antonio Valverde Alcala.

Later this year, Valverde’s next exhibition, Alter Egos, will open after Celestial Hunger.

She reported that her health is stable, but she undergoes tests every three months to determine whether the malignancy has spread.

“Once it begins to spread, I’m done,” she said.

However, Valverde is currently focused on the positives.

“I have always desired to be a full-time artist, but it wasn’t until I received my diagnosis that I recognized, ‘Oh my goodness, what a blessing this is. Because I can now do it whenever I want,’ she explained.