In October 2022, I was given a terminal diagnosis so I decided to start using the the news to inspire others to have a more positive attitude towards being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
A the age of 51 years, I have now become known as Richart the Aura Expert. I gave up my corporate life to become an Art Therapist 12 years ago. But it was a devastating blow when I was recently diagnosed as having terminal prostate cancer. I was homeless, travelling around Valencia and Ibiza at the time, teaching people about aura awareness and using aura painting as a form of visualisation to assist with the healing process. I had to return to England for further checks were upon I was told that I only had between six and 36 months to live.
If you are unfortunate enough to receive a diagnosis of terminal cancer, most people give up on life, but I have a different attitude to life. I was not prepared to be a victim of cancer. Instead I saw cancer as my teacher.
So I had to ask myself the question; “How can I use this diagnosis to change my life in a positive way and make it better over the next 36 months?”
In November 2022, I decided that instead of selling my art to make private revenue, I would instead sell them to raise funds for cancer charities, such as Prostate Cancer UK, in order to raise awareness. As well as Prostate Cancer UK, I also donated funds that I has raised to Ark Cancer Charity, who support the use of complementary therapies, of which I also support through my own art therapy work.
In just 2 months I helped to raise £1,100 for the Ark Cancer charity at Basingstoke Hospital and I have donated the art work as well, which will soon be hanging in the Chemotherapy unit of the Rainbow ward. As a thank you, surgeon general Merv Rees (OBE), sent me a personal letter of gratitude for my efforts, as the painting was created whilst I was very sick in hospital. I painted whenever I had the energy as it helped me to heal the emotional turmoil from both the cancer and having to live in the hospital for over six weeks.
This month I have been awarded my own social housing home in Whitehill, Bordon, which affords me a feeling of stability and offers a place of safety. There I can paint every day, as well as doing online Aura Paintings for private clients who wish to have their own Aura painted whilst donating their money/fee to charity. My quality of life has improved greatly.
This I was also been nominated for the “Local Hero” in CHAT magazine for my fundraising efforts whilst being sick in hospital. My incredible story has appeared in the Basingstoke Gazette and will also be published on the Smiley Movement website.
Because I am a terminal cancer patient, I no longer have to work for a living which means that everything that I do now is done out of love rather than neccessity. Ironically, this means that despite being a terminal cancer patient fighting for my life, I am no longer in the survival mode that I have been in throughout most of my adulthood. Now I am living from a place of love which allows me to stop worrying about death and start enjoying being alive. New opportunities keep coming my way and new collaborations with aurasome people are coming too which means that I can mix my Aura Painting with music, fashion and much more, allowing me to leave a beautiful legacy behind for people to enjoy long after I am gone.
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