Fox & Orca's First Annual Art Show for Kids with Cancer, By a Kid with Cancer

Fox and Orca, mother and daughter team Whitney and Willa Ozkan, to host an “art show for kids with cancer, by a kid with cancer” to honor Childhood Cancer Awareness Month from September 1-30, 2026 located in the West Gallery Hallway, in the lower level of the Simsbury Public Library, 725 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, Connecticut.  An opening with light refreshments will be held on Saturday, September 12th, 2-4pm.

Willa was diagnosed with a thalamic glioma and numerous other brain abnormalities a week before her 8th birthday party. Only about 1-5% of all pediatric brain tumors are in the thalamus, located in the middle of the brain. The thalamus acts as the brain's central relay station or "motherboard”. These thalamic tumors are often treated as inoperable due to location. 

Willa’s mother Whitney says, “We were incredibly lucky to find an amazing team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. When I first met Willa's neurosurgeon, Dr. Mark Souweidane, he spoke to me as a parent first, and then a doctor. We are so grateful for our local team at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center as well, and for the amazing Ronald Mcdonald House that enabled us to access care away from home.  It takes quite a village of patient, thoughtful, caring providers and people to navigate this process.”

Of the art show project, Whitney Ozkan shared: “After the last few years dealing with cancer and complex health challenges, we want to give stories like Willa's a place to shine. We are both passionate about making art and have benefited from art as a healing practice and a way to communicate when we don’t have the words. We have seen firsthand how much creativity in pediatric oncology departments can help kids do very hard things. 

From drawing, painting, photography, writing and illustrating graphic novels, and creating digital art, I have watched Willa transform in the act of creating art over the last several years.  It was from this joy of creating and often using artistic expression to communicate difficult things that this art show for kids with cancer was inspired.

The act of creating something is inherently hopeful. This is how our “art show for kids with cancer by a kid with cancer” was born. We hope you'll join us in honoring the brave and talented kids sharing their work in this show.”

Fox and Orca are still accepting submissions until June 15, 2026. All entries will be eligible for a prize drawing for one of three $25 visa gift cards. Submissions are not limited by location; participants are not required to be Connecticut or United States residents. Entry is open to children who have or had cancer up to age 21, and their caregivers or support person (i.e. sibling, best friend, parent, etc). Posthumous submissions are also welcome.  Work will be showcased in an online gallery as well. Artists can submit their work on linktr.ee/foxandorca or by emailing foxandorcalab@gmail.com for assistance.  To partner with Fox and Orca as a volunteer or local business interested in supporting the project, please contact foxandorcalab@gmail.com.