Artisans Unfinished: Celebrating the Everyday Masterpieces of People Living with Liver Cancer

In Kay's kitchen, cooking is more than following a recipe. It's the careful selection of local ingredients, the rhythm of building a symphony of tastes and textures, and the relationships that form when sharing her food with the people she loves. It's one of the ways she expresses care for her family and friends, and it's meant even more to her throughout her liver cancer journey as a way to channel her creative energy and stay grounded with herself and her community. But maintaining this connection to Kay's craft hasn't come without challenges, as these rituals were disrupted by her diagnosis.

For Kay and more than 42,000 people in the United States expected to be diagnosed with a type of liver cancer this year, a diagnosis can interrupt the creative practice that defines the pursuit of their life’s passion.¹ Whether their work takes shape in a kitchen, studio, garden or other meaningful place, the expression and artistic communities many nurture remain an important part of who they are.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer.² When it is classified as unresectable, it means the cancer cannot be removed with surgery because of factors such as the size or location of the tumor or a person’s general health.² In recent decades, rates of liver cancer have increased in the United States,³ and approximately 75% of all primary liver cancers in adults are HCC.⁴

Liver cancer can bring uncertainty and change that affect far more than a person’s medical care.⁵ It reshapes routines, relationships, and the ability to engage in the passions or hobbies that provide purpose and connection. 

Finding her voice: a recipe for timely treatment

For Kay, the path to a liver cancer diagnosis was marked by questions and an urgent need for clarity. As a former nurse, she was used to helping others navigate complex health conversations, but when she found herself seeking answers, the uncertainty was overwhelming.

“When I was diagnosed with (unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma) uHCC, I felt terribly afraid and, quite frankly, hopeless.”

As she moved through appointments, testing, and treatment decisions with her providers, Kay was driven by the gravity of her situation.  

“Every time I was going to go into a procedure or to have a decision made, I had the sense of urgency,” she said. “The stress and tension was so overwhelming.”

Kay’s experience is just one example of the emotional and physical stakes for patients facing this diagnosis. The five-year relative survival rate for liver cancer is 37% when the cancer is localized, compared with 13% when it has spread regionally and 3% when it has spread to distant parts of the body.⁶ While each patient's journey is unique, statistics underscore the importance of timely, individualized evaluation and care planning.

For unresectable liver cancer, timely evaluation and coordinated care can be important as clinical circumstances may change over time.⁵ 

The ingredients of connected care 

When liver cancer is unresectable, like in Kay’s case, care can be complex. A person’s cancer, liver function, overall health and personal priorities may all shape the approaches their healthcare team considers. As the management of advanced uHCC has evolved, care may involve specialists in oncology, liver disease, surgery, interventional radiology, nutrition and supportive care.⁷

For Kay, coordinated care is a lot like cooking. A memorable meal depends on more than individual ingredients; it’s about how each one is thoughtfully selected, prepared and brought together to create something greater for the people around her. That sense of connection mattered to Kay as she navigated her own care.

“It took me a while to get bonded with my oncologist, but after a while, we did. And they’re a really good source of information.”

Multidisciplinary care is critical for liver cancer management, and bringing relevant specialists together early following diagnosis can help ensure that the many factors affecting care are considered as a personalized care plan is developed.7 It can also help those living with uHCC and their caregivers understand who is involved in their care and make space for questions and discussion as it evolves. 

For Kay, being part of those conversations was important.

“I knew that I had to get involved in my care with my care providers.”

Open dialogue may help patients and caregivers seek clarity, discuss whether another perspective may be helpful, and take a more active role in conversations with their care team.

More than her cancer: an artisan unfinished 

As a former nurse, veteran, community advocate and passionate cook, Kay has spent much of her life caring for others, often through her culinary creativity. She finds joy in trying new ideas and seeing the reactions when guests sit down to a meal she has made.

Throughout her ongoing journey living with uHCC, Kay remains determined to take an active role in her care. She sought information, asked questions, and explored additional perspectives as she worked with her care team to better understand her options.

Kay’s diagnosis may have changed her path, but it did not erase the passions, relationships and purpose that make her who she is. For Kay, staying connected to what mattered most helped keep her whole self—not just her diagnosis—at the center of her journey. 

However, her relationship with cooking evolved following her diagnosis. At a time when she was often the person bringing people together around the table, Kay found support in accepting invitations from others. 

“I didn’t want to isolate myself... My passions were still inside of me. I had to put them all on the back shelf and take care of me going through this journey.”

For Kay, those meals offered more than nourishment. Being welcomed into neighbors’ homes and sharing meals with friends helped her stay connected to the people around her, draw strength from their support and remain close to the passion that had long been her way of caring for others, even when cooking herself was more difficult.