Manchester two-time cancer survivor inspires others with her art
A Manchester cancer survivor uses her photography to help others heal.
Deborah Cross survived stage four cancer twice. She said she has a cancer journal with pages for photos, drawings and writing to help work through her emotions.
"Journaling can give you a sense of inner peace and comfort as you move along in your journey to wholeness," Cross said.
Doctors diagnosed Cross with endometrial cancer in 2014. She was cancer-free for almost four years, until her oncologist had news for her.
"She said to me, 'Deb, your cancer has come back. It's treatable, not curable and unless you start chemo right away, you have 46 months left to live,'" Cross said. "I just started sobbing and wailing."
Cross has been cancer-free for four years with the help of traditional medicine and naturopathic doctors.
"I could have died twice from the cancer drugs, and I believe that God spared my life for a bigger purpose, for a bigger calling, and so I just had to trust, trust the doctors, trust myself," Cross said.
Cross said her purpose is helping others through her passion for photography. Cross said her photography captures a feeling, which she said has healing benefits.
"I want to kind of bring back that we need each other, you know, we need that sense of community," Cross said.
She uses her photos for cancer journals, notecards and postcards. Some of the proceeds go to the North of Boston Cancer Resource.