Veena Agarwal and Sundar Jagannath, MD
A 4’ x 6’ floral landscape painting hangs in the Derald H. Ruttenberg Treatment Center at Mount Sinai thanks to Veena Agarwal, a multimedia artist and patient of Sundar Jagannath, MD, Director, Multiple Myeloma Program, The Mount Sinai Hospital.
Diagnosed with stage III multiple myeloma in 2007, Ms. Agarwal has since waged a decade-long fight against the disease. After a particular reoccurrence left her quite ill, Dr. Jagannath asked Ms. Agarwal what she needed to do to help lift her spirits. “I wanted to walk again and to paint again,” Ms. Agarwal told him. “Both of my wishes were granted by the doctors of Mount Sinai. They inspired me.”
Ms. Agarwal was selected to exhibit 47 paintings at The Creative Center, a nonprofit organization in Manhattan that holds workshops and promotes artistic expression among those with cancer and chronic illnesses. The large biopharmaceutical company Celgene has also commissioned her to complete an 8’ x 5’ painting for its corporate office in New Jersey. “I am very happy to do it,” says Ms. Agarwal. “Colors have come back into my life.”