Yadira Hernández-Picó
El vuelo de mis pasos (The flight of my steps)
Digital Photography
Artist Statement
When my ovarian cancer recurred, I retreated to my garden—seeking a sanctuary, but finding a mirror instead. For the first time, monarch butterflies began to grace my backyard. To my surprise and delight, they left behind so many eggs and caterpillars that I created a small habitat, learned how to nurture them, and the butterflies kept coming. As I navigated my own grueling process, I watched these delicate creatures undergo their own quiet metamorphosis. In the seclusion of my backyard, I witnessed the emergence of hundreds of monarchs. Watching them fly away, I imagined each one carrying kisses into the sky for the loved ones I have lost. Documenting the monarch’s life cycle became a ritual. As I photographed them before their first flights, I began to imagine the tumors inside me as chrysalises that would soon break free and leave my body. This image weaves together a deeply personal journey of transformation with the broader fragility of the natural world. At a time when climate change and habitat loss put a million species at risk, including the endangered monarch butterfly, it stands as a call for both environmental conservation and human resilience. Today, like the monarch butterflies that flew away free, I am cancer-free—learning how to care for my own fragile wings.
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.
