"When I finished radiation, my team said that I could keep the mask. At the time I was pretty despondent, so I had no idea what I'd end up doing with it," artist Kat Howell tells POPSUGAR. After finding some inspiration online, Howell decided she was done letting her mask collect dust, taking it on a trip to the craft store. "The thought of reclaiming something that triggered visceral, horrific memories for me into a symbol of strength and beauty resonated," she explains, referencing her own journey with tongue cancer. The mask, titled "Fabiola", was created using pearls, spray paint, foam, and artificial floral arrangements. Howell calls the actual artistic process "quite cathartic," eventually sharing the process on TikTok.
"Seeing the mask transformed from its original form to a genuinely beautiful and unique piece of art that is also part of ME was moving. That face is MY face," Howell says. "I reclaimed what the mask is to me and what it meant for that period in my life."