William Shakespeare said “Life is a journey from cradle to coffin.” Sometimes, however, the journey can take a sharp turn.

For North East resident and artist Tamara Maas, this happened on Feb. 19, 2003, the day she was diagnosed with Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of cancer.

In addition to the support of her husband, Scott, her two daughters and other family members, what kept Maas going through the amputation of her left index finger and 67 radiation treatments was the thought of painting her experience. What resulted in the years that followed were three paintings that tell the story of her journey – “Diagnosis Moon, Destination Radiation, and The Hope Within.”

“I knew that through the whole experience, it was my own personal therapy, thinking about how I was going to paint this,” Maas said.

Though her experience was deeply personal, Maas eventually had prints made of the paintings. The prints and other artwork by Maas are featured at September Moon Art Gallery in Findley Lake.

Maas says she’s been pleasantly surprised at peoples’ reactions to her work. She is especially gratified by those who, facing cancer treatment themselves, tell her that her paintings help them cope.

“I’ve had people say they woke up and saw my ‘Hope’ print and that’s what got them through the day. As an artist, you can’t ask for more than that,” she added.

Maas’ journey began with the discovery of a lump on her left hand. After a few years, she went to a specialist who said it was a cyst. The lump was removed, but her hand continued to hurt. When she went in for what she thought was a routine follow-up visit on Feb. 19, she was told she had Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare, aggressive malignancy that affects the soft tissue of the hand. It is often misdiagnosed, as in Maas’ case, leading to improper and delayed treatment.

Maas chose to be treated at the Cleveland Clinic. She believed that the doctors were going to scrape the bone, but just before her surgery, she was told that her whole finger would need to be amputated.

To make matters worse, testing on Maas’ finger after the surgery revealed that the cancer had spread throughout it. “That’s when they decided I needed radiation, because my whole finger was full of cancer,” she said.

What followed were 67 radiation treatments, twice daily. Even that was uncertain, Maas said. “They told me if the radiation did not work, they would have to amputate my whole hand. So all throughout the treatment, I didn’t know if it would be successful.”

Maas, who has always lived in the country, had to move to Cleveland for the duration of the treatments.

She was able to be accepted to Hope Lodge, a center in University Circle that provides lodging to adults undergoing cancer treatments. “It’s an amazing place,” she said.

While she was there, she was inspired by the artistic culture there, including large paintings at the Cleveland Clinic. “That’s when I said, ‘I’m going to paint my cancer experience,” she said.

Intent on moving forward, she renamed her business from Tam’s Designs to 9-Digit Designs in 2004. “I thought for a year on that,” she said. “I thought, ‘I have to put a positive spin on this.'” Her motto is: “Real Art from the Heart.”

The paintings were a journey in and of themselves, however. Maas finished the first two paintings, “Diagnosis Moon” and “Destination Radiation,” in 2005. The third painting, “The Hope Within,” took two more years for her to paint, she said, because she was afraid the cancer might re-occur. “I just went over it again and again,” she said. “I was positive, but at every doctor’s appointment you think: ‘Oh man, you’re going to go back to square one.'”

Each of the three paintings features the same tree with an embodiment of a person in the trunk. “Diagnosis Moon” features a winter scene in moonlight; Destination Radiation depicts the tree under the searing sun; and The Hope Within shows the tree in springtime with life returning to its branches. At first, the paintings were too personal to share, Maas said. “I did not show the picture to anyone but close friends and family. It was so personal to me. I would have been devastated if someone did not like them,” she said.

In 2009, however, she made the decision to have the paintings printed. It cost her $1000 to have 500 copies of each printed.

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“I cried for a week. I was terrified that no one would like them,” she said. “It was a big step to put it out there for the public.” The paintings were well received, however. Maas said she has only had a few people who did not like them because they were too personal.

They have also been printed on ceramic mugs and The Hope Within has been printed on slate. She donates a portion of the profits back to the Hope Lodge.

In 2012, Maas completed a fourth painting entitled “Live Life,” featuring a grove of trees against a multicolored background.

This painting took her five years to complete, as she learned to deal with daily affairs but not get “bogged down by the details,” she said.

During her period of radiation treatment, Maas’s family would bring her home from Cleveland and take her to the 30-acre camp in Westfield they had recently bought.

On Route 20 in Ripley, there was an inspirational billboard featuring the words of Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never give up.” These are the words she would pass on to anyone facing a diagnosis of cancer.

“Never give up and, if you can, talk about it. That’s really important to realize – that you are not alone.”