ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — It’s hard to know how you would react if you received a devastating diagnosis. However, after years of fighting breast cancer, a St. Lucie County teacher, mom and wife is making every day count.
Vanessa Solomon is combining her love for art and teaching to leave a lasting legacy through a scholarship.
She has built up a "stash" of Precious Moments—porcelain figurines people have been collecting for decades.
Vanessa Solomon shares with WPTV what this project means to her
"I think it’s a testament to how well these are made," Solomon said, showing off one she’s had for decades. "The base here is from 1989."
That’s why she said it feels strange to take a hammer to some, and a chisel to others, to completely rework what—or who—they once were.
"She was originally a nun," Solomon said, showing how she transformed a nun into Lydia Deetz of "Beetlejuice."
"Some of these take a day. Some take a week," Solomon said.
But it’s time well spent with an art project that, she said, reflects how she now sees herself.
“I feel like I’ve rebuilt myself with a lot of great qualities that can sustain and give sunshine to others,” Solomon said.
It’s an outlook she embraced after learning she had breast cancer in 2016 and undergoing chemotherapy.
“The hope was that it was gone, and we wouldn’t have to deal with this again,” Solomon said.
It was years later, in late 2021, that she learned the cancer had returned and spread. News from doctors was grim, but she’s already beating the odds.
“They were basically saying to me, 'The life expectancy is this, your options are this…'" Solomon said. "That brought to life the realization, like, 'Hey, wait—I still have young kids and a young husband.' So anyway, that started me on the second journey.”
That was a journey of looking at her life differently.
"I prepared for death, but I didn’t prepare for life. That was the biggest mistake I made," Solomon said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fundraiser for Fort Pierce Central High School coach battling metastatic breast cancer
Breast Cancer
Fundraiser to be held for beloved coach battling breast cancer
In 2022, a fundraiser at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce helped her walk away from a job she loved—teaching and serving as a graduation coach in St. Lucie County.
“My community gave me the opportunity to heal at home," Solomon said.
But she never left behind her love for helping students who needed an extra push.
"How can I help those kids who society has discarded and said, 'This is the box you fit in?'" Solomon said. "No, you don’t have to fit in that box. You can repurpose yourself. You can go forward without the labels that were given to you."
That’s why she is selling her revamped Precious Moments figurines to fund a Solomon Strong scholarship.
“I just hope I can give them that hope, that glimpse, the sunshine I want to spread,” Solomon said.
She especially hopes it goes to students who show a zest for life and strength despite life’s challenges.
"I think someone who shows resilience, you know? Especially against all odds," Solomon said.
You can view or purchase her finished creations, here.
