A Bristol illustrator has learned to draw with his left hand after a rare cancer meant his right forearm had to be amputated. Dylan Shelton, 25, described learning to draw with his other hand as “incredibly freeing” and becoming “less judgemental” about his own work.
Having grown up in Hampshire, Dylan moved to Bristol seven years ago to study illustration and regards the city as his home. In 2021 when he was 23, he was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer, synovial sarcoma.
He went through a number of treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lung surgery and amputation of his right forearm, but was determined to continue drawing as his chosen career. He said: “It took me about a year until I was confidently drawing again, but it really didn't take too much practise as it’s the only thing I have done my whole life.
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“To be honest it was incredibly freeing and liberating because I was less judgemental about my work and was much more open to making mistakes which is what art is all about.” His family started a GoFundMe page so that Dylan can access private treatments for his cancer, which are expensive.
Dylan said: “We’ve raised this money because the conventional NHS treatments aren’t working and aren’t appropriate for me. I am aiming for a more targeted approach that will nourish me and give me complete health.
“There are so many exciting things out there but a lot of them are very expensive. I have been blown away by the amount we have raised, but we need as much as we can raise because the reality is some things will work and some won’t.”
To build his health, Dylan said he follows a good diet and exercise. He added: “I stay off my phone and don’t listen to any of the nonsense out there. I try to stay connected to nature, be truly kind to myself and have some sort of spiritual practice.”
He also highlighted that he doesn’t “subscribe to the idea that my story is tragic”. He said: “Sure I have had horrific experiences but they have led me to learning and becoming a more whole human being. I would not for a second say that I’m grateful for the things that have happened to me, but I am going to make the most of it.”
His mother Alex Hoare, who started the GoFundMe page, said Dylan has taught himself to re-draw with his left hand, adding he is now able to do so “better than many can with their right”. She said despite all the medical treatment he has undergone, “the pesky disease is still refusing to abate, synovial sarcoma is rare and therefore there is less research and consequently less treatments available".
She said the funds raised will help her son to find treatments further afield to target the specifics of his cancer and they are only £20 shy of their goal of £40,000. Alex said: “This treatment requires expensive genomic testing and is only available privately through specialist clinics.”
According to Sarcoma UK, synovial sarcoma usually develops around the joints and tendons, but can occur anywhere in the body. It is typically found among teenagers and young adults.
Signs and symptoms include a lump or swelling in the soft tissue under the skin, often around the joints in the arms or legs. The lump is slow growing to start with and is painful.
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