John was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors in March of 2010. An independent illustrator, writer and graphic novelist, they put creative expression in conversation with cancer, drawing and writing about cancer’s impact on all aspects of life. John talks about artistically rendering tumors as monstrous embodiments of self, negotiating and battling with them through various chemotherapy protocols, surgeries and clinical trials. John approaches illness with openness and honesty, crediting personal experience as a queer teenager growing up amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis, and explores pathways toward coping with cancer’s physical, emotional and artistic challenges.
