"Camino" Fanny Pack

Artist: Anna Feneis

Inspiration: Megan Connolly

Megan's Twist on Cancer:

Cancer has given me a chance to embrace life to the fullest, and not take anything for granted. Cancer has taught me to be vulnerable, and that is when I have connected the most with people. My most meaningful relationships and conversations in life have been the result of being vulnerable and acknowledging the worst experience of my life. I truly believe my cancer journey turned into my greatest blessing to be able to share my story and provide hope for others.

Anna's Artist Statement:

The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of Saint James, is a pilgrimage in Spain that stretches 500

miles. Many follow the Camino for spiritual growth, as it leads to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great. Others view the Camino as a turning point in their own personal journey – a place to end one chapter and start a new.

When I first met Megan, I was struck by her gentleness. Her soft voice and demeanor oozed the color pale pink. But the more I learned, the more the colors started filling the canvas. She spoke warmly about her large family, friends, and eventually her cancer journey.

Throughout this process one thing has resonated: gratitude. She talks about how she does not look back with contempt, but rather, with appreciation. How since her diagnosis, she has learned to appreciate life with a new zest. And although her struggles were great, her relationships are stronger and her connection to the world has grown because of them.

So, in a sense, Megan walked her own Camino de Santiago.

As Wordsworth said:

“And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns

And the round ocean and living air

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things.”