By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Madelyn, also known as Maddy, is a young Friendswood artist who is not so sure she will become a professional artist
“I want to be a nurse or a teacher,” she responded when I asked what she wants to do when she grows up.
She and her older sister Violet took art lessons a few years back. When I met with Maddy, she led me to see her sister’s artwork, which was framed and hanging on a wall in another room. The artwork was a painting of a pale pink bicycle leaning on its stand with vegetation around it.
While in her sister’s room, Maddy bounced around on the bed with the energy and innocence of childhood. She seemed happy to show off her older sister’s painting.
Two flamingos prancing about in a tropical environment were done in oil pastels and were created by Maddy during one of her art lessons.
“Maddy loses focus when it comes to sports, but with art she maintains her focus,” said Tom Hinckley, Maddy’s father.
Maddy’s passion for art was further developed as she began her journey with the big C word. Maddy was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of cancer that forms in the bones and soft tissue and is most often found in children and young adults.
It all started with a pain in her leg, her parents reported. From there she began to limp, and she along with her parents began a five-month medical journey, going from one specialist to another till finally they received the dreaded diagnosis of cancer.
Addison, Maddy’s younger sister, shared the following memory of the day the family learned about the C word.
“Everyone at the house was crying, and I thought Maddy had COVID,” Addison said.
Addison is just eight years old, and she was only 7 when her older sister was diagnosed with cancer.
Sitting with the girls, it is not apparent that there is a reason to feel sad or worry about a 10-year-old who has cancer. Maybe the smiles and relaxed feeling reflect the love and care their parents have given them, both before the diagnosis and as they have traveled the cancer road.
“We have been very transparent with her about all of her treatment,” said Maddy’s mother, who is a nurse. “We wanted her to be part of making decisions.”
During the many weeks of treatment — hospitalization, trips for infusions, plus surgery — Maddy was able to distract herself with art. The Periwinkle Foundation provided her with art supplies and artists who donated their time to guide her as she created.
Maddy, who had already loved creating visual art prior to being diagnosed, welcomed Periwinkle’s art intervention.
Maddy is also a superfan of Taylor Swift and wrote a poem about her admiration of Swift for The Periwinkle Foundation’s poetry contest. The poem is printed in a magazine along with the work of other young writers.
Not only was Maddy creating art, but also her sisters were able to participate when they accompanied her to her treatments.
Maddy and Addison won purple ribbons for their paintings, and now their work is on display at the Helix Park complex in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) from Oct. 21 – Nov. 12.
Their winning art is also displayed in a magazine featuring young artists’ creations published by The Periwinkle Foundation.
Maddy shared that she likes to create happy art. Indeed, all her work that I was shown had a light and happy vibe. She loves cacti, and her winning piece is an abstract with a saguaro cactus faintly visible under light covers of tropical blue and green paint.
Her happy art contrasts with her little sister Addison’s art, which features deeper, darker colors.
I asked Addison why she painted a rainbow with such dark colors.
“I just wanted to,” she replied.
Addison’s painting is titled “Over the Rainbow.” Over her rainbow, she painted translucent flowers and cheetah spots that seem to be floating. Some of the cheetah spots are painted with a light touch of black paint, just as a cheetah in the wild has black spots.
When I asked why she painted cheetah spots, she again replied simply.
“Because Cheetahs are my favorite animal,” Addison said.
Maddy explained to me that while she was in the hospital there was no set time for sleeping. What was important was that she rest when she could. This meant that in the middle of the night, if she was not sleeping, she was kept busy creating art, using the art supplies which were brought to her bedside.
The three sisters attended art camp together. The camp is another offering of The Periwinkle Foundation.
Violet, who is in seventh grade and created a stunning painting at a younger age, prefers sports to art. She and Maddy may not share the same passion for art, but they do share sister memories and fun times.
Violet remembers a time when they were all younger and there was no big C in the family.
“We had a bunk bed set which was kind of like a dollhouse,” Violet said. Maddy would jump from one bed to the other.”
The girls’ parents helped describe the beds. The two beds were positioned in an L shape with one along one wall and the other along another wall that included a window.
“I slept in the top bunk and Maddy was in the bottom bed that was a double bed,” Violet shared.
“Maddy would want me to sleep with her in the double bed, and we would both want to sleep on the outside because we didn’t want to sleep next to the window,” Violet said.
As I spoke with each of the girls, cancer didn’t seem to be part of their family’s reality, but it was, and it will continue to be for a while.
Maddy has gone through surgery, chemotherapy and Proton therapy. And just when Maddy’s family thought she had completed her cancer treatment, nodes were identified in her lungs. Once again, Maddy will be undergoing chemotherapy.
Her parents explained that this time, Maddy will be taking chemo from home rather than going into the medical center for an infusion through a port.
“She doesn’t want any more pokes,” her parents shared.
They are hopeful that Maddy can manage the effects of receiving chemo at home and can avoid the invasive procedure of placing another port for infusion treatment into her young body.
For now, Maddy is feeling well and is attending school with the rest of her classmates. She is in fifth grade.
Last year, she was on homebound schooling. This meant her teacher came to her home with her schoolwork.
Her parents report that the school is taking extra precautions and that staff members deep clean Maddy’s classroom each evening. Maddy will wear a face mask to school as she undergoes her next round of chemotherapy.
Her parents are confident that the prescribed chemo will bring Maddy into the clear so she can ring that bell to declare she is cancer free.
Without a doubt, I know our readers will add Maddy to their prayer lists.
The public is invited to view the artwork and writings of Maddy and other youth who have undergone and are undergoing stressful medical treatments
The Periwinkle Foundation’s ” Making a Mark” exhibit of children’s and teens’ art and creative writing will be on display at the newly opened Helix Park complex in the Texas Medical Center from October 21 to November. 12 and can be found on the first floor of the TMC3 Building in the 37-acre Helix Park Development located at 7255 Helix Park Dr.
