“Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed and rearranged to relocate us to the place we're meant to be” ~unknown
 
Out of the darkness of the surrounding soil, a new shoot emerges, reaching towards the sunlight, searching for the warmth and nourishment it offers. I feel this way - upon hearing the words “Andrea, you have tumours in your lungs" - I slip into the darkness for a short time, only to awaken to a life I believe will be cut drastically short. I search deep within myself for the potential to survive, it is there, I believe, just as the potential for the bloom of a flower lies deep within the core of the plant before it’s unfolding. As I lay in my hospital room recovering, I long for the warmth of the sun on my skin, the fragrant breeze of tropical air filling my lungs. Will I ever feel these things again? Hear the roar of the ocean? Feel the sand under my toes? This longing turns into determination; not only to reach the destination of the tropics but to survive. Facing a grim prognosis of less than 5% chance of survival, this will be no easy feat.  
 
After 5 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, I find myself sitting on a plane - destination: Maui. This is my first trip after treatment. Like a warm hug, the humid, flower-infused air fills my lungs and nourishes my soul as I step off the plane. I made it. I never thought I would be here and I have 5 years to go before I reach the magical survival time, and 10 before I am considered cured, but this is the first step. While visiting the Tropical Plantation I see this beautiful Plumeria surrounded by even more beautiful dark leaves. This trip is the start of a new life, a new beginning. This painting is the first oil painting I really attempted. It is not perfect. But it is the perfect beginning to my new life and my art.  My life is evolving just as my talent as an artist, and just as the bloom of the plumeria. 
 
KA LĀ HIKI OLA— the dawning of a new day - optimism, the value of hope and promise