Veteran’s painting his way of giving back

Growing up in the vibrant streets of the Bronx, it was inevitable for Army Veteran Denis Velez to immerse himself into the art culture found on every block. His colorful paintings are but a glimpse into the energy that radiates from his service experiences: His talented hand has been a part of who he is—from junior high school to military service in South Korea.

There, the commanding general was in desperate need of an artist. During the Korean War, illustrators were the computers and they were relied on to be the drawing board for the next plan of action. What sparked his creativity then later led him—after service—to trade in his military drawing board for photography and colorful paintings alongside his artist companion and wife Mayra Velez.

Fisher House a home away from home

Just as Velez finds hope in his art, he does, too, with the health care team at West Palm Beach VA. As a patient of VA during the most life-threatening times of his life—overcoming Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and now prostate cancer—he is a believer in VA. 

His belief is so strong that he left his old home in the Dominican Republic so he could call West Palm Beach his new home. “The moment we found out he was sick again I knew we had to go back to West Palm Beach VA,” Mayra said.

Denis still remembers the phone call from VA Oncology, the one took the breath right out of him. “Overcoming my GBS and now cancer, I believed and still do believe in the doctors. I am not afraid. I spill my guts and feelings out to them,” he shared.

VA has become his home away from home, and that home is also known as the Fisher House. After every radiation, he had a place to lay his head, a sanctuary of comfort surrounded by those undergoing similar life stages. 

“I want to give back emotionally.”

The Fisher House, only a crosswalk away from the main hospital, has been Denis’s and Mayra’s relief. He could not leave this time without giving back. As an artist he is fulfilled when he can express his emotions in a painting. “I want to give back emotionally. That is why I made this painting. The sunbathed building represents new hope for Veterans and their families during times of debilitating illness. The palm trees represent soldiers who have supported each other in battle as well as in peace time.”

Denis’s choice of therapy is one that often leaves a trace everywhere he goes. His pieces are created with a purpose to honor a person who has come his way.

From military drawing boards once used as a lighting path for soldiers to now connections of color among Veterans, he is a beacon of hope for Veterans, one that serves as reminder to them that they are not alone in their journey fighting for their lives.