Bicol: While waiting for her turn at her gynecologic oncologist's clinic at the Bicol Cancer Center (BCC) on April 16 of last year, Dee Jai could not brush off her gnawing anxiety. This was the day when she would finally learn what treatment her body would have to endure. As she observed people entering the radiation unit on the first floor and the chemotherapy ward on the second, she noticed the blur of gray around her - shaved heads, pale faces, and frail bodies dragging their IV stands across the sterile floor. The air felt heavy, depressing and draining. However, amidst that dark gloom, a ray of light managed to peek through.

According to Philippines News Agency, Dee Jai, a Bicolana artist, realized that in the battle against cancer, the fight begins long before treatment; it starts in the waiting. Like a sudden burst of color, a brilliant idea took shape: she could bring art directly into a space of treatment and recovery. Still reeling from cervical cancer's toll, the gutsy artist proposed an art corner to the president of the Bicol Regional Hospital, who approved it immediately. After almost a year, 11 artists and other volunteers worked together to paint hope for cancer warriors at BCC.

The mural is only the beginning of the art corner. For now, it is just wall art as Dee Jai plans to build bookshelves, create a small music corner, and provide art materials that patients can use while waiting in line. "Just imagine how their day could change by sitting in this corner rather than sitting alone with nothing but their heavy, distressing thoughts," she said.

For cancer warrior Gina Suprayo, who also offered her time and talent for the community mural project, initiatives like this are very uplifting. "It inspires us to continue our fight against cancer," she said in Filipino.

Dee Jai's artwork transforms BCC's waiting area walls into a hope-filled canvas with sun, butterflies, ribbons, trees, and swirls, symbolizing that light persists even in dark times. "Cancer tried to dim me. But I came out glowing and more driven," she proudly said.

Renowned artist Emmanuel "Manny" Garibay's collaboration with Dee Jai on a mural shows how art can enter daily spaces and promote well-being for communities in need of hope. As the founder of the Linangan Art Residency, an alternative art school in Alfonso, Cavite known for integrating artistic practice with active community involvement, Garibay said the project would always be special to his team. "What makes this one different is that it's inside a room - specifically for young children undergoing chemotherapy," he said. The artwork, which features children with shaved heads, aims to empower young patients. "Part of the challenge was showing their condition without making it seem dreadful. Instead of denying it, we reflected it back in a bright, cheerful way," he said.

For Vicky Balunzo, Sining Bicol president, supporting the art initiative was deeply rewarding, as it allowed her to make a tangible difference in the lives of cancer patients.

Now found to have no evidence of disease after undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and brachytherapy, Dee Jai is more determined to push for her advocacy to use art to empower cancer warriors. For this psychology graduate, bringing the art corner to life is her way of giving back to the community that has supported her through the most trying phase of her life. "Sometimes we face battles that seem impossibly huge, like David standing before Goliath. But I've come to realize that God would not place a Goliath in our path if he did not first see a David within us," she said candidly.