For years, Brett Van Sanders had an eye for color, shape and movement. He painted as a child, loved working with his hands and carried creativity with him, even when life pulled him in other directions.
But after a thyroid cancer diagnosis, a 12-hour surgery and a long season of healing, art became something more. It became a way forward.
Today, one of Brett’s paintings hangs in the office of Dr. Kimberly Vanderveen, an endocrine surgeon with HCA HealthONE Rose. Bright, layered and full of hidden words, the painting is shaped like a thyroid. It is personal, hopeful and intentional — created for patients who may sit in the same waiting rooms where Brett once sat, scared and uncertain about what would come next.
“I wanted people to look at it and just have a happier, lighter feeling from it,” Brett said. “Even if it’s a small glimpse of hope.”
A voice change that led to answers
Brett was 32 when he first noticed something was wrong. He was working as a sous chef and started losing his voice. At first, he thought it might be allergies or irritation from working around smoke and grills. Then he noticed swelling in his neck.
“When I look back at all my pictures, it’s clearly there,” Brett said. “But I had no idea.”
After one doctor told him he had a benign tumor, Brett sought a second opinion because something did not feel right. That second opinion revealed multiple cancerous tumors. By the time Dr. Vanderveen performed surgery, Brett said the cancer was far more extensive than he first realized.
He remembers Dr. Vanderveen drawing a simple picture to show him what she was seeing.
“It just showed circles everywhere,” Brett said. “Tumor here, tumor here, tumor here.”
Trusting his surgeon through the unknown
Brett had 31 tumors throughout his throat and around his vocal cords. His surgery took 12 hours and after he woke up without his full voice. One vocal cord had been removed, and the other was not working the way it once had.
He remembers listening for the smallest sign that his voice might return.
“I was doing meditations, and I remember hearing this little squeak in my voice,” Brett said. “When that happened, I was like, OK, my voice is going to be back.”
Recovery was hard. Brett carried oxygen for a time and later had a tracheostomy tube. He felt uncertain about what his life would look like. For a while, he believed the tube might be permanent. Then, during a routine follow-up appointment, he learned it could be removed.
“At that point, I didn’t think I would ever get it out,” Brett said. “I thought that was just a part of my life now.”
Through it all, Brett said Dr. Vanderveen’s calm, honest approach helped him trust the process.
“I don’t know what I would have done without her,” Brett said. “The way that she handled the entire situation, her kindness, her support. She made it easier for me. She gave me the ability to trust her.”
Picking up a paintbrush again
As he healed, Brett tried to return to work, but a graphic design job involving printing fumes began affecting his throat. His doctor advised him to leave the environment. The decision was right for his health, but it left him feeling lost.
Then his dad created a small art studio for him in a corner of a storage unit. Brett began going there every day, trying clay, spackling, paint and anything that felt interesting. Many days, he painted while crying. Slowly, something began to shift.
“I started painting again, and I forgot how much I liked this,” Brett said.
Within months, he sold his first painting. In his first year, he completed nearly 40 commissions. One of them brought his story full circle: a thyroid painting for Dr. Vanderveen’s office.
A painting filled with hope
Brett made the piece colorful and full of movement. He also hid meaningful words throughout the painting, including one that mattered deeply to him: support.
For Brett, that word is not abstract. It has names and faces. It is the family and friends who called, showed up, checked in, and helped him keep going through the hardest parts of treatment and recovery.
“I would love to give my friends and family a giant shout out,” Brett said. “Without them, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it.”
That support became part of the meaning behind the painting. Brett remembers how much it mattered when people reached out, especially during moments when he did not know how to ask for help.
“To have people call me and show up for me, it’s what I needed,” he said.
Now, Brett hopes his painting offers that same feeling to others. If one word catches someone’s eye at the right moment, or if the colors bring even a small sense of relief, he considers that meaningful.
“To have somebody just look at that piece and have a small, tiny little smile, you know, makes my day,” he said.
Today, Brett continues to paint, spend time outdoors and share his cancer story with others who may need encouragement. His advice to someone facing thyroid cancer is simple.
“Don’t quit,” Brett said. “You can either quit or you can try.”
For Brett, trying meant seeking another opinion, trusting his surgeon, accepting support and picking up a paintbrush again. Now, in the place where others come for answers, his artwork offers a quiet reminder that healing can take unexpected forms.
Learn more about thyroid cancer care at HCA HealthONE.