About three years ago, something happened very close to home that had a profound impact on me: cancer. The weight of the word itself is overwhelming. I decided to approach the disease with the firm intention of supporting, collaborating, visualizing, and trying to normalize similar situations. To this end, I am developing my painting project, “Bizi-min-bizi / Close to Cancer.” Reading books like “Recovering Health” by Stephanie Matthews Simonton contextualized the idea of visualizing the disease. In one of the chapters, she says that visualizing the disease can bring about a change in attitude. Without any ulterior motive, and driven by my need to somehow accompany the process I was experiencing, I began to think that I could do this work. It has been my way of being present. After initially viewing images of biopsies online, I decided that the place to delve into the project was the hospital. The project had to begin there. I wanted to draw cancer biopsies in situ and began making the necessary arrangements. I had an initial interview with a contact provided by Olatz Albizua, a healthcare worker and friend. Adrián Illarramendi, an anatomical pathologist, confirmed that the project was feasible. He invited me to his lab in Madrid, but we decided to try to get a job at Donostia Hospital first. The Anatomical Pathology Department is where biopsies are viewed under a microscope and a diagnosis is made. The samples are immersed in formalin and sealed with paraffin, so no special aseptic technique is needed to handle them. I could bring my markers and pencils without any problem. Although most of my close contacts believed it would be very difficult for an artist to get a job at the hospital, an opportunity arose. I worked for a year and a half in the Anatomical Pathology Department at Donostia Hospital. With the help of Dr. Manuel Moreno Valladares, I looked through the microscope and drew on-site, examining biopsies of different cancers. The staff in the department were impeccable, friendly, and inquisitive. The sessions in the Pathology Department lasted approximately three hours, during which I created three or four drawings of a specific cancer. Afterward, in my studio, during the remaining days of that month, I worked on medium-format acrylic paintings (due to their quick drying time). For the next year and a half, I worked in oils, on larger formats, and with freer interpretations. Many of the results are purple and lilac. Most biopsies are stained with eosin to visualize the cells, and this stain is this color. There are other markers, such as CD-34, that stain cells where there is a lesion brown and healthy cells blue. This project generated a lot of insecurity for me regarding its acceptance among the people going through the process. I wanted to proceed with extreme care and the utmost respect, trying not to offend anyone. After working on the project for a few months, I proposed holding a workshop/presentation in my studio. Raquel Rodriguez's Oncology Yoga group, "Prabhasayoga," accepted my invitation. What happened that day in the studio was magical. The connection that developed and the participants' gratitude gave me the certainty I needed to know I was on the right path. The idea of the human need to be connected to others and how we relate to one another, the need to belong to a community, just as neurons or cells need others to function, are constant themes in my work. Miren González Goikoetxea