Drawing New Strength
How art therapy motivated and inspired a cancer patient
By Ryan Bermudez
Photography by Jonathan Thorpe
Rainey Beckett found art therapy during treatment, and it became a post-recovery passion.
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ainey Beckett was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021. As she began her chemotherapy treatments, she realized she needed additional help to relieve the effects of stress on her mind and body. That’s when she discovered art therapy through the Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Care program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Vase in Fabric” by Rainey Beckett.
Beckett worked with the art therapist twice weekly on activities, such as sculpting, writing and painting. “Sometimes I wasn’t feeling great, but I still showed up and did what I could because that’s the whole point,” she said. “Even if it is just drawing or listening to music, it is all therapeutic.”
Kristi Jernigan, Beckett’s mother, saw how special the sessions were for her daughter. “Art therapy was something that she loved to do, and she would really protect that time,” Jernigan said. “Although we did some sessions together as a family, she would do solo sessions with the therapist, and I think she preferred just having that time to herself.”
Jernigan and her husband, Dean, made a significant gift to support art and music therapy at Sylvester — the same classes that helped their daughter and countless others — as an expression of gratitude.
Beckett was grateful for the love and care she received from her family, but sometimes it reminded her of what she was dealing with. By contrast, art therapy was a personal time to escape being a patient. “I was never alone,” Beckett said. “If my husband couldn’t stay with me, my parents would come. If they couldn’t stay with me, then a friend would come. So, I really enjoyed my sessions with the art therapist because it gave me a chance to stop being ‘patient Rainey’ and return to being just ‘Rainey.’”
“River from Above” by Rainey Beckett.
“Koi Pond” by Rainey Beckett.
These experiences stuck with Beckett, and although she’s no longer a patient, she continues to participate in art therapy sessions every month. Twice a year, she attends art retreats where she can let her creativity flow. She also traveled to Scotland, where she lived with an artist and worked as an apprentice for two weeks. What started as a way to pass the time during treatment has become an irreplaceable passion. 
