Alexia Monaco was a familiar presence in Geneva's arts community long before she became an author; as a supporter, organizer, and maker.

Then came the diagnosis that changed everything, and she found a new way to create.

Monaco describes her cancer diagnosis as a "medical lightning strike." After journaling to track her "daily maladies and moods" for her clinical team, she felt the chronicle of her journey might help others.

Before writing a word, she read every ovarian cancer memoir she could find to see whether she had something new to add. Then she began to write in earnest.

"Transcribing passages in my journal was liberating,” Monaco said. “Working on the content, considering and detailing my past, present and unknown future from a place of extreme physical and emotional trauma, was brutal."

Determined to honor the raw nature of the subject, she chose honesty over comfort, sacrificing her privacy to share physically and emotionally intimate experiences.

“The mental unraveling, physical assaults and countless mortality confrontations come to mind,” she said. “To write about those incidents, I had to return to those excruciating memories and find a way to use words to bring other people into that space with me."

The result: “Living in Legacy: ovarian cancer from cell to soul” (the first edition) was published in February 2024. Not only was her goal was to help readers facing cancer feel less isolated and more hopeful, but she also wanted to recognize the healthcare workers she encountered along the way.

"From the valet stationed at the building's entrance to the surgeon in the operating room, I hope this serves as a reminder of the human being behind the name and date of birth, of how intrinsic every point of contact is to a person in my position," Monaco said.

Sadly, her journey didn't end there. Monaco experienced a recurrence in 2025 that led her to write a second edition — despite the pain of writing the first one.

"Transcribing the contents of my journal, framing the chapters by month, noting events and consolidating concepts was organizational and neat,” she said. “Pontificating and spewing disjointed, horrifying, glorious thoughts was messy and endless. I had to accept that my account would never be perfect or complete, and that my life isn't static.”

When she began the second volume, “Encore,” she didn't need to invent the structure or develop a tone or style from scratch. Her first experience left her feeling "more emboldened…less timid and more transparent."

Given that most people know someone who has dealt with cancer, she hopes her words can help others. Unlike those who adopt a combative mentality, Monaco views her role in this journey differently.

"It is the duty of my medical team to wage war, to fight cancer. My job is to understand, consent to and endure treatments,” she said. “I offset battles with a peaceful space for my body and mind to heal and disengage from the world of oncology."

Monaco finds the death rates for avoidable and treatable conditions in this country concerning and believes that women's health issues are especially misguided, overlooked, and underfunded.

"We must understand our base anatomy and respect it,” she said. “If we hear and heed our body's warnings, we may better manage the avoidance and early detection of disease."

Monaco lauds the teams and resources that have supported her. For one, Northwestern Medicine Living Well Cancer Resources, which offers programs for individuals and families affected by cancer — focused on healing, resilience, and connection — at no cost and regardless of where care is received.

"Navigating the emotional toll that cancer takes without Living Well would have been akin to managing the disease without an oncologist,” she said. “My counselor has been the most instrumental person in navigating this terrain.”

She invites readers to learn more on the program’s website.

Looking back, she would tell her newly diagnosed self, "You have the capacity to bear this hurt, to heal, to survive. Speculation is the enemy of calm, do not allow this to hold your soul hostage."

Her books encourage that perspective. She hopes that readers will see her as a storyteller who is "fragile yet fierce, traumatized yet triumphant, insecure yet inspired…transcendent."

Monaco doesn't let her medical challenges define her life. She's also a collage artist who values the therapeutic power of making art and says it grounds her.

"Acts of artistic engagement bring me back to earth, back home, back to myself," she said. "I especially love drawing from tramp art traditions and transforming seemingly worthless bits and pieces of precious objects into something sacred, beautiful and unique.”

That artistic engagement includes work in collage, cards, bookmarks, embellished trays and boxes, jewelry and tramp art animal sculptures. She says she sees both her writing and her collage art as "a magical and intimate space to enter and explore."

Both Monaco and her husband David share a passion for historic homes and purchased a pre-Civil War house in downtown Geneva.

"In the architecture and order of our home, we find refuge — a sense of place, permanence and a greater purpose," she said.

She also connects with its survival of a 1904 lightning strike: like her, "it failed to succumb to nature's forces and refused to burn to the ground."

The Greek flaming symbol of life at the entrance grounds them in humanity and hope.

Monaco served for ten years on the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, co-chairing the Eat Your Art Out! and Art Affair galas. Together, those events raised over $50,000 while promoting the arts across the community.

She and her husband support a range of local organizations, including Friends of the Fox River, the Geneva History Museum, the Geneva Public Library, PBS, and Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley.

They have also earned Conservation@Home certification for their property and are strong advocates of The Conservation Foundation. All proceeds from her book, “Living in Legacy,” go to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.

“Living in Legacy” can be borrowed from the Geneva Public Library and the Northwestern Medicine Living Well Cancer Resources libraries in Geneva and Warrenville. It can be purchased locally at Harvey's Tales in Geneva or on Amazon.

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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