"Namaste, the Divine in Me Honors the Divine in You."
Quána Madison is an artist, mindfulness teacher, arts-based wellness workshop facilitator, self-leadership coach and personal stylist.
Expressive arts revived her soul after enduring cancer previvor treatments and developing disruptive life-changing chronic illnesses. She believes art nourishes well-being.
In 2015, Quána exhibited early cancer warning symptoms during her PHD program at the University of Colorado Boulder. After becoming severely ill, genetic testing revealed she had the BRCA1, ATM and NBN genetic mutations. Her prior health history of precancerous growths, suspicious symptoms and genetic predisposition made her high risk of developing aggressive forms of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers.
In 2016, she had an emergency hysterectomy, oophorectomy and double mastectomies. She underwent multiple breast reconstruction procedures and experienced necrosis of her remaining breasts. 3 months after surgical treatments, she barely survived a spontaneous vaginal cuff dehiscence and evisceration. While bleeding out to nearly to death from this rare surgical complication, Quána had an extraordinary out-of-body near death experience. The experience was transformative and restored her faith in the sacredness of life.
By January 2017, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, endocrine system problems, peripheral neuropathy. depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors informed Quána that she her life expectancy was shortened due to her complex health landscape. The compounding impact of her incurable chronic illnesses caused her life to completely fall apart. In April 2017, she discontinued her PHD due to debilitating health reasons. This marked the beginning of her post-traumatic growth journey.
Art-making, expressive writing, creative personal expression, community arts engagement, self-care, self-compassion, mindfulness, self-esteem and self-confidence practices helped Quána recover and transform. Creative expression combined with inner wellness practices can promote physical, emotional, mental and energetic well-being.
Quána strives to inspire, educate, empower and uplift people through her artwork and consulting services. She is passionate about promoting inner wellness, mindfulness, holistic well-being, body positivity and personal creative expression.
Inspiration from an Everyday Light-Bearer
Drawing on her deeply personal experiences, Quána Madison explores what it is like to live with disruptive chronic illnesses resulting from surgical treatments for breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer. Inspired by the arts and living expressions of Ubuntu in her communities, Quána navigates complex traumas and embraces personal transformation. She shares this profound collection of memories to encourage a better understanding of life with chronic debilitating illness and offer support and community to those that may be suffering.
After surviving extraordinary near death experience, her personal and professional life collapsed. Quána shares her journey of pain, suffering, creative coping, and searching for inner peace. Using narrative letters, poems, and personal reflections, LoSing Strength and Dexterity paints a vivid picture of her challenges, frustrations, and traumas.
Armed with courage and unwavering resilience, Quána confronts and mourns the death of her former life, while opening her heart and mind to a new horizon.
QUÁNA MADISON is a cosmopolitan renaissance woman. She believes that by rehumanizing ourselves to better understand the lived experiences of ourselves and others, we experience more peace, empowerment and living-community. She expresses herself as an artist, author, speaker, expressive arts wellness workshop facilitator.
As a scholar, she is passionate about a plethora of topics including: critical disabilities studies, Black feminist thought, arts-based trauma interventions, leadership studies, personal empowerment and global sustainable peace. Born in Kansas, raised in Missouri, a former New Yorker and Shanghai expatriate, she now resides in Denver, Colorado.
A graduate of New York University and Colorado College, Quána holds an MA in Education and a BA in Philosophy.
Available NOW on Amazon.
Paperback Book: 120 pages
Language: English
Publisher: A-Star Publishing
by Quana Madison
Amazon Prime
Available NOW. This item was released on November 29, 2018.