Flora Migyanka & Ashley Carlson




Artwork will be on Display at Detroit Shipping Company
The Story
Photo of Flora Migyanka wearing a shirt with pink lettering "Strong Together" standing on a street next to a brick wall.
Flora Migyanka
Detroit, Michigan
@fmigyanka ( IG) @maggiemoo09 ( twitter) @uncorkforacure_detroit
I am a Breast Cancer Survivor
Twist on Cancer: Being Grateful. Gratefulness makes you happy. Happiness does not make you grateful. It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable, face fear and open your heart. Ashley Carlson, my artist, was able to take my personal cancer pathology slides and create beautiful artwork to shed light on Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer, an under researched common subtype. Being able to transform a horrible situation, capture my story and make something beautiful is a gift. It is incredibly healing to have the Twist Out Cancer Platform as a means to connect, heal and share our personal journey. Ashley inspired me to continue to “see” beauty from a different perspective and find peace and forgiveness and give ourselves more grace.
Ashley Carlson
www.facebook.com/journeyofanartist
Social Media: @journeyofanartist
“Blooming through Darkness”
Acrylic and paper on wood panel
24” x 36”
$250
Artist Statement:This piece is just a small fraction of the strength and courage that Flora shared with me about her journey with Lobular Breast Cancer. Meeting her and learning more about her I immediately was drawn to how she turned something so personal into a cause that she could help other women, and give her time and energy to help with the fight against it.

The painting represents those layers of her path. The cancer (images of her actual pathology slide) at the bottom. foliage and flowers blooming from it and her and her yoga practice in the center, balanced and strong. swirled together as she continued to go through all of the feelings and continuing to grow and give to others. I've been humbled to learn from her and hope that this painting represents just a small piece of the beauty she has.