Facing death: the last drawings of a woman with breast cancer at the end of life
npj Breast Cancer, vol.12, no.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Technical Note
- Volume: 12 Issue: 1
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1038/s41523-026-00969-2
- Journal Name: npj Breast Cancer
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Ondokuz Mayıs University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Drawing offers a powerful means of expressing lived experience when words fail. This commentary analyzes the final drawings of a woman with breast cancer, examining how her artwork reflects an evolving confrontation with mortality across diagnosis, recurrence, and metastatic disease. Grounded in existential psychology, the article highlights grief, hope, faith, and death awareness, and argues for integrating psychological and spiritual perspectives into palliative and end-of-life care for patients and families.