Jackdoor Bones & compassionate touch
Jack is an artist from rural British Columbia (BC) who uses art to explore ideas of self, relationships to the natural world, and the terror/joy of living as a trans, disabled, cancer survivor.
They were diagnosed with late stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma during COVID, and subsequently had treatment at BC Cancer. Afterwards, Jack took part in a BC Cancer workshop facilitated by Krystle Scofield. They shared their story through digital storytelling and created a short video called A Drift.
In the digital story, Jack describes how the surgeon who performed their biopsy refused to look at them or speak to them. That disdain brought back the pain of being rejected by their birth family, and left them feeling alone and deeply unsafe. A surgical tech noticed Jack’s distress, took their hand, told them a joke and promised to look after them. That small act of kindness gave Jack the trust and confidence to be able to continue with the surgery, and also to advocate for themself later, when the surgeon’s office delayed sending the biopsy sample. It shows how one moment of compassion can change the trajectory of someone’s care and go some way to restoring safety and trust.
“His support gave me the confidence to advocate for myself and to receive the help that I needed. That one moment where I was seen is why I’m here and why I’m able to continue exploring my place in the world, building my family, and figure out how to keep giving back to a world that might not understand or accept me, but I love nonetheless.”
Jack took part in a podcast about digital storytelling, Co-Created (hosted by Kristy Wolfe) where they talk about the process of making the film, and what happened next. You can find the podcast and associated blog here.
Check out Jack’s art and learn more about them on their website.
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