Being diagnosed with a life threatening illness is like falling out of a nest where we felt safe and warm. Suddenly the world is cold and very big. We need new eyes and lots of heart to navigate our way through the unknown territory we now inhabit.

In The Scalpel, The Paintbrush and The Pen, Marilyn Hagar gives us an in depth view of her healing journey from the shock of her first symptom, to her eventual treatment and recovery. What is unique about her story is that while she was going to medical appointments, submitting to tests, and weighing the pros and cons of treatments, another part of her, her magical child inside was on an adventure. She was playing, asking questions, exploring, making art, singing, dreaming and talking to foxes. The vitality of this wild child and her belief that anything is possible is an important part of the story told here because being open to all possibilities goes hand in hand with being open to healing.

Hagar has worked for many years as an expressive arts therapist. The art the author made, her dreams, and the intuition that guided her are deeply woven into the story she tells here. This book is testimony to the fact that when confronted with our own mortality we need more than our rational minds to guide us. It is vital that we look inside for deeper ways of knowing so that as we walk the labyrinthian path through the medical world asking our doctors for help, we bring all of our own inner strength to our healing journey.