Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal

ISSN: 0832-2473 (Print) 2377-360X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ucat20

Journaling Cancer in Words and Images: Caught in

the Clutch of the Crab by Harriet Wadeson

Jacqueline Fehlner BA, R.C.A.T., O.A.T.R.

To cite this article: Jacqueline Fehlner BA, R.C.A.T., O.A.T.R. (2012) Journaling Cancer in Words
and Images: Caught in the Clutch of the Crab by Harriet Wadeson, Canadian Art Therapy
Association Journal, 25:1, 24-24, DOI: 10.1080/08322473.2012.11415560

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2012.11415560

Published online: 15 Apr 2015.

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Download by: [Flinders University of South Australia] Date: 23 March 2016, At: 18:13
 book review
Journaling Cancer in Words and Images: Caught in the Clutch of the Crab
By Harriet Wadeson

Reviewed by: Jacqueline Fehlner, BA, R.C.A.T., O.A.T.R.

Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publishers Ltd., 2011.

Includes a CD-Rom, “Cancer Land: An Altered Book for an Altered Life.”
ISBN: 978-0-398-08672-5 208 pp.

The diagnosis of a serious, life-threatening illness has the I appreciate that she included key pieces of her artwork
potential of turning one’s life upside down and up again, not (printed in black and white) within her journal as it gave a
once but many times before it stabilizes in one way or another. strong visual voice to her memoir. The same pictures and
Downloaded by [Flinders University of South Australia] at 18:13 23 March 2016

Some people have found it helpful to journal that experience.
A few share their story with others, either individually or as
part of a small group at a Cancer Support Centre. Some go
public so that others can learn that they are not alone on that
scary, mysterious road.
This book is a must read for any art therapy student or
Professional who will be with people living with a life-
threatening illness such as cancer, especially if they have not
been exposed to the world of cancer and cancer treatment as
done today in North America. Harriet Wadeson, through her
words and images, brings the reader inside and lets one see
and hear the challenges that a person may encounter in some
way or another after being diagnosed with cancer. She writes
in a style that is conversational in tone. As I read her diary,
I felt like I was sitting down with many of the people I have
been so privileged to work with over the years as I listened
to them and with them held their fears, their anger, the many
disappointments with their times of set backs and moments
of despair, their pain and suffering. Wadeson did not shy away
from writing about the anxieties that surfaced and the tensions
that arose between her and her caregivers--reality! She also
balances the picture and lets us hear and see in her artwork
not only the above, but also the relief expressed, the hope she
had, the love and compassion of her partner and friends and
the joy they shared when good news came. Wadeson reminds
us to celebrate life continually along the way for we only have
today.
more are part of her Altered Book Project which she made
during this time. They are powerful in full colour and are found
on the CD-Rom that is enclosed on the back cover.
It takes courage to publish one’s journal recorded on a journey
made through Cancer Land. This book is Harriet Wadeson’s
gift to us who may walk with others in some capacity either
as professionals or in a personal way. While each person’s
experience of cancer is unique, there are some common
elements and aspects of those good and bad experiences.
Wadeson is so open and honest of what it is like to be a cancer
patient with all its unknowns, probabilities and possibilities.
In spite of all her pain and suffering, Harriet Wadeson did not
and has not lost her creativity. Throughout her life, she has
chosen life and lives it to the full. May she continue to inspire
us as she has done so throughout her life.
Harriet Wadeson reminds us that nothing is so powerful as
hope. Let us be gentle with all of our clients. They have been
through more than enough harsh experiences and treatments.
May all art therapists be agents of hope for all with whom we
work: clients and colleagues.

24 Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal Volume 25, Number 1, 2012