The Perfect Way to Surround Yourself with Beauty and Contribute to a Good Cause

Guaranteed to Touch Your Heart

In 2003, I volunteered with Chemo Angels, an organization that connects individuals to “angel” cancer patients. I was assigned to angel a twelve year old girl named Sarah, who had been diagnosed with leukemia for the third time. When we were connected, Sarah was preparing to undergo a bone marrow transplant.

Sarah received her first diagnosis of leukemia at the tender age of six. During her hospital stay, Sarah was introduced to art therapy. She had a particular fondness for butterflies and wolves. Her art was featured in school publications and her room was filled with her paintings and drawings. She would often draw pictures for the nurses and sent several to me. They are my most cherished possessions. Fortunately, Sarah’s cancer went into remission and her love of art blossomed.

At age nine, Sarah’s leukemia returned. The second treatment was more aggressive and Sarah spent a great deal of time in isolation. Again, she turned to her art and when her health permitted, she would provide art lessons to the younger children on her hospital unit. Sarah was unaware of the research that has been done on the healing benefits of art. She just knew that when the children were engaged in creating art, they could temporarily forget about their pain and their illness.

Hospital leaders, physicians and patients are discovering that art and music placed in the hospital environment can assist patients to deal with their illnesses more effectively. Studies show soothing environments may even allow the patient to fully recover in a shorter amount of time. 

Healing art can be as simple as viewing pictures on the wall to help reduce stress of patients waiting to undergo a surgical procedure. Flipping through a photo album can bring on laughter and remind us of happy events. Art therapy can include active involvement such as painting, sculpture or photography. Healing art is not limited to those that are hospitalized or coping with an illness. It can be used by anyone at any time to reduce stress, ease depression, or lighten one’s mood.