Marnie Vollenhals is an artist and muralist based in Fort Worth, Texas. After undergoing breast cancer treatment, Marnie is now using her talents to help Nature’s Bounty give back to Komen.
In 2016, Marnie’s routine mammogram turned out to be anything but routine. During the exam, the radiologist came into the room and said he noticed something different in comparison to her mammogram the previous year.
“He said he saw something, and he needed to show it to me right away, that it was concerning,” Marnie said. “He was very calm and collected. He said I needed to see a breast surgeon. I asked him how serious this was. I’m healthy. I run every day. And he said, ‘If you were my wife, you’d be at the surgeon tomorrow.’”
A week later, Marnie met with a breast surgeon. A biopsy confirmed she had stage 2 triple negative breast cancer.
“The diagnosis was a complete shock. I’d always been healthy,” Marnie said. “I didn’t feel my cancer. There were no symptoms at all. I didn’t have inverted nipples, nothing. I had no clue.”
Marnie started chemotherapy right away. Marnie had 28 rounds of two different types of chemo. “I had a really hard time,” she said. “I was sick all the time. It was brutal.”
As an artist, Marnie’s art has naturally been influenced by her breast cancer journey. “I do think my art has changed, as have I,” she explained. “I just appreciate everything so much more.”
Even though she felt awful, Marnie would get herself out of the house and take walks. “I needed the fresh air,” she said. “But it also helped with my artwork. I worked the entire time. I’d walk around the block, and it was kind of an escape for me, and I’d draw and paint for my clients. I kept working to kind of escape what was going on.”
A month after she completed chemotherapy, she had a double mastectomy. Then she had six weeks of radiation therapy. About a year later, she had her final surgery, during which her expanders were removed and she had implants put in.
Now finished with treatment, Marnie has blood work once a year. “For someone with triple negative, that’s scary. I still think about cancer every day, and I don’t even have it anymore.”
Marnie found that putting on a brave face, focusing on the positive and moving her body helped her immensely. “I knew treatment was going to end at some point, so I just kept moving with it. It was hard,” she said.
She’s proud to have partnered with Nature’s Bounty on artwork that adorns select products. “I’ve been through this myself: I understand the need to take care of yourself,” she said. “It’s been such an honor to work with them. I love being able to help other people who have cancer, to support them in some way.”
Learn more about Nature’s Bounty partnership with Komen here.
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
