Loretta Alvarado
Metamorphosis Fiber Art Sculpture
Fabric, thread, wire, recycled plastic bottles, yarn
Artist Statement
When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2004, treatment required the complete removal of my thyroid followed by radioactive iodine therapy. The most difficult part was not swallowing the radiation pill, it was preparing for it. To make the treatment effective, I had to become profoundly hypothyroid. My body slowed, but so did my mind. Everyday decisions became confusing, and simple tasks no longer felt simple. It was a temporary condition, yet it gave me a glimpse of how completely illness can alter the way we experience the world. Although the cancer was successfully treated, life did not simply return to what it had been before. Without a thyroid, I would depend on medication every day for the rest of my life to replace a hormone my body could no longer produce. Recovery was not about returning to my old self. It was about discovering who I would become. I created Metamorphosis nearly ten years after my final treatment. By then, I realized the piece was not about the struggle of cancer but about what comes afterward. A butterfly does not emerge from its chrysalis unchanged; it cannot go back to being a caterpillar. It moves forward as something entirely different. Looking back, I see this artwork as a celebration rather than a record of hardship. The butterflies represent resilience, renewal, and the quiet joy of embracing life after profound change. They remind me that transformation is rarely easy, but it can lead to unexpected beauty. Cancer became one chapter of my story, not the whole story. Like the butterfly, I emerged different than before, not because I wanted to change, but because life required it. Today, when I look at Metamorphosis, I do not first think of cancer. I think of happiness, gratitude, and the privilege of continuing to grow.
Note from Invenra: Loretta Alvarado's art is featured on the back of each card and the box they're housed in.
52 Views of Cancer
52 Views of Cancer is a deck of playing cards illustrated by people who know cancer firsthand. Each of the 52 cards carries original artwork by a different cancer patient, survivor, or immediate family member, each with their own view of the disease.
The artwork comes first. We're bringing the deck to major scientific and medical conferences and putting these artists' work directly into the hands of the researchers and clinicians working on the cancers they've faced.
Learn more about Invenra’s efforts to fight cancer.
