Life Quilt for Breast Cancer

stitches together a

community

Sunday, October 20 was quite a party
at the Diane Farris Gallery in Vancouver.

Local dignitaries, speeches,
entertainment and guests so numerous
they spilled out into the street made it
look like any other major gallery opening.

But this was no ordinary event.

The unveiling of the first quilt in a
planned series of three by the Life Quilt
for Breast Cancer Project revealed a work
that is beautiful to look at, but more than
merely decorative. It is a testament,
tribute, and symbol of hope for everyone
touched by the disease.

The Douglas College community has
been closely involved with the Life Quilt
for Breast Cancer since the project was
started by former Psychiatric Nursing
Instructor Judy Reimer over a year ago.

Using a quilt as a symbol of
community, breast cancer survivor Reimer
worked with artist Gay Mitchell to
develop a vision of three quilts. Each
would contain a distinctive centre panel
surrounded by smaller squares. Together,
the panels would show a forest in
stages—from clearcut to the beginnings
of regrowth and on to reforestation—to
parallel the stages of breast cancer and the
emotional journey of living with the
disease.

Now the vision is becoming a reality.
The one finished piece, an imposing ten
by 12 feet on its own, is an indication of
the impact of the work as a whole—and
of the many lives the quilt represents.
Each one of the 138 hand-quilted squares

 

it contains was stitched by someone
touched by the disease.

Another Psychiatric Nursing
Instructor, Anna Jajic, has also been
involved with the Life Quilt for Breast
Cancer since the beginning. She has been
responsible largely for research conducted
as part of the project, to determine where
services are needed for women living with
breast cancer.

“Overwhelmingly, what I hear is that
women need more information about
treatment, immediate recovery and long-
term issues,” she explains. “Along with
the emotional support they need, there are
the practical, day-to-day chores like
shopping and getting the kids to games
that are a real challenge.”

According to Jajic, the strongest
message revealed by the research is that
those living with breast cancer want to
talk to others just like them. “These
women, their friends, families and
caregivers, all those who struggle with the
stages of breast cancer, are a community.”

aL ree EE,

And the quilt, on many levels, will
continue to create and reflect this deep
connection.

It is Jajic’s hope that what has been
learned from the project can be used to
help groups in other communities cope
with similar situations. The quilt will be
shown across Canada for the next year,
spreading awareness of the realities of
living with breast cancer. The parties may
not be as big everywhere it goes, but the
message will be just as strong.

The party at the Diane Farris Gallery
raised $10,000 towards keeping both the
quilt and the research going. The ultimate
goal, of course, is to drastically reduce the
number of Canadian women killed by the
disease: currently 5,500 per year.

To make a donation to the project or to
volunteer your time, contact the Life Quilt
for Breast Cancer Project at 219-1675
West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, V6J 1N4,
or phone 736-4234. ff