Every patient has a different way of coping with disease; in California, a woman suffering from abdominal mesothelioma has painted her house seafoam green to boost her spirits.  Rebekah Price was diagnosed about two years ago and has since had surgery at the National Institutes for Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  She returns to the Institute every four months for a PET scan, but expects the disease will return within five years.

Color has added excitment and brightness to Rebekah's life. "The living room is a metallic gold, the kitchen is orange, the kitchenette is yellow,” she said. “There’s two green rooms, there’s a purple hallway, a pink wall, a blue room and a red room.”  Most striking, however, is the seafoam green exterior.  Vivid color, Rebekah said, has become a comforting, positive force in her life.  “Life’s been pretty dark for a long time,” she said. “I want color, you know?”

Unfortunately, not all of Rebekah's neighbors have found the same joy in color.   Many believe the house sticks out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood and is too glaring for their particular community.  Rebekah and her children have incurred harassment and vandalism because of the opposition to the color. But Rebekah holds her head high and faces the abuse with optimism and humor; when a racially motivated comment was made implying her house would be better fit for Mexico, Rebekah merely hosted a Mexican-themed party with a taqueria and a mariachi band.

In the face of a terminal illness, Rebekah is inspiration to all of us.  She combats her disease and the harassment with poise, logic, and strength.  And not even the dark and disheartening comments can take the color out of Rebekah's personality.