Dominique, 54

I’m thinking about Japanese cherry blossoms. Right now is the blooming season. There’s a park in Paris where all the Japanese people gather and where these flowers can be found. Someone told me about it recently. I also have friends who went to Japan and brought me back photos from their trip. I imagine a photograph of the tree as a whole or of the flowers. This image would represent the time I’m going through right now.

Since I’ve been at the Institut Curie, I’ve been coloring Japanese designs to keep myself occupied. It’s a very popular activity. At first, during my first hospitalization, I couldn’t color because I was tired and the patterns were too small. When you’re coloring, you focus on not going outside the lines, which takes your mind off things. When I have a brief bout of pain, it makes me feel better and lets me focus on something else, clearing my head.