Making life better for Albertans facing cancer. Healing Arts

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1 Making life better for Albertans facing cancer Healing Arts

2 Last year, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the Cross Cancer Institute saw almost 3,000 creative arts therapy visits, ranging from individual/family sessions to group-based workshops. There is a long list of other Albertans who need that same space to heal. With your support, we can help. A cancer diagnosis can be shocking, creating challenges for patients and families: fear for the future, pain, sleeplessness, identity loss, reduced self-confidence, altered social relationships. When a loved one is facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, it can be paralyzing. Children experience fear, grief and other emotions when the parent is sick and the moments they spend together are changed by cancer. When a child loses a parent, it can be traumatic they often blame themselves and feel abandoned. As difficult as it can be for adults to express themselves, a child s language has not developmentally caught up to what they feel. When someone dies, the family is left picking up the pieces, not knowing how to create a new healthy life. With your help, we can change that.

3 Heath s Story In 2015, Heath had to do the unthinkable: tell his seven-yearold-daughter and four-year-old son their mother had died. We have the opportunity to support families across Alberta through this painful time. We have committed $300,000 to a Healing Arts program and need your support. This program within CancerControl Alberta relies solely on Alberta Cancer Foundation donor support to help as many patients and families as possible. Art therapists can be there throughout the journey from diagnosis to end of life and after. Heath McCoy strongly believes in the healing power of art. In 2015, he had to do the unthinkable: tell his seven-year-olddaughter, Bronwyn, and four-year-old son, Finn, their mother had died. Tamara Gignac had been diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer a year earlier and the family made one last trip to Mexico so she could fulfill her wish of feeling the sand under her feet and watch her children play in the waves. She deteriorated quickly on that trip and ended up being flown back to Calgary via air ambulance. Heath and his children were at Tamara s bedside in her final moments to say goodbye, which he describes as the most traumatic part of their cancer experience. I remember telling my daughter that this is the time we have to say goodbye to mommy and I remember she screamed and she kicked, says Heath. She had a physical reaction and I held her as tightly as I could and tried to take away her pain. I could feel her agony, I could feel her writhing in my arms. And I remember my son, he couldn t grasp it as well, but he was crying and crying because he felt like he had done something wrong, to hurt his mom. It was really traumatic. Treatment heals the body, Art heals the soul.

4 The need The demand for creative art therapy visits is steadily increasing. Last year, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the Cross Cancer Institute saw almost 3,000 creative arts therapy visits, ranging from individual/family sessions to group-based workshops. Therapists also spend time in palliative care units in the cancer centres, facilitating activities that improve quality of life for cancer patients. During this time, patients and family members can create meaningful legacy art projects as well as share in creative activities in the time they have together. There are often waiting lists to see a therapist. The volume of group programs has also been limited. We are in urgent need of $300,000 so we don t have to turn away patients or families. The love story the dying parent and child share can be beautiful art therapy can help children see everything that parent is doing or has done to live those extra days to hold them and to have those extra moments together. Picking up the pieces Thankfully, there are ways to help children and families through this physically and mentally traumatic time. Krista Marsden, provincial co-ordinator of Healing Arts says art therapists often hear from children who think they are to blame for a parent going away. A cancer diagnosis and even more, the loss of a parent, can impact someone s lifelong trajectory, says Marsden. The love story the dying parent and child share can be beautiful art therapy can help children see everything that parent is doing or has done to live those extra days to hold them and to have those extra moments together. It helps them not to see the blame but to see the love in that and set them up in their life to be resilient and healthy. Heath and his children are rebuilding a new life together as a family of three and along the way, he has seen the benefits of art in his own children. It became a refuge from the intense emotions associated with their loss. He would watch them do something simple like draw, colour or write a poem that had nothing to do with their mother but before long, that peaceful, meditative time to reflect would help feelings emerge. I always tell them their mother is in their heart and it was remarkable to see how art would calm them down, bring them a little peace and help them feel closer to her. What better way for them to feel mommy in their hearts than when they re in that artistic space, maybe writing a poem or painting a picture of her?

5 When someone dies, the family is left picking up the pieces, not knowing how to create a new healthy life. The art of creation in a safe environment such as a series of sessions is therapeutic.

6 How can you help? There are a range of art-based options that can calm and soothe the body and allow their families to express themselves. Here are some ways your donation could be used to help Albertans facing cancer. Item Description Value From Love Totes to therapy sessions Love Tote Open studio session These customized art packages are designed to help young children process their experience and develop coping strategies after a parent is diagnosed with cancer. An hour of open studio space where patients can share their experiences and express their emotions through a variety of artistic techniques drawing, sketching, charcoal, watercolour that bring people peace of mind and comfort. $20 $100 The Healing Arts team has developed a care package to help families with young children. Love totes are hand-sewn bags filled with a letter to the parent, an activity book, art supplies, stickers and other crafts that allow parents and children to be in a safe place to express themselves. Love totes will also be available at the cancer centres in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge so that more families can access this heartwarming tool. While love totes help fill a gap, our goal is to provide as many individual art therapy sessions for as many children as we can. When someone experiences a traumatizing event, the body is hard-wired to respond by activating the flight, fight or freeze system. Over time that trauma can be triggered through other events and the ability to process those sensations can lead to great difficulty later in life. The art of creation in a safe environment such as a series of sessions is therapeutic it engages the body in a sensory way that also allows them to think about the emotions, enhancing resilience and post-traumatic growth. Volunteer musician workshop Inpatient individual art therapy support Establish Art Cart Art therapy sessions for children of cancer patients This workshop supports volunteer musicians to comfortably enter a cancer centre environment and offer calming music performances for patients and families. Art therapy has the ability to enhance a patient s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. You can provide one day of bedside art therapy to multiple patients receiving care at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre or Cross Cancer Institute. Stationed in the cancer centre and shared with outpatients and supported by volunteers, custom Art Carts will be available for patient use before, after and sometimes during treatment. This mobile cart is filled with supplies that allow patients and families to create greeting cards, work with yarn, create fabric bracelets, play cards, do crossword puzzles, etc. Losing a parent is traumatic for a child and it can leave them feeling abandoned. You can help provide six sessions of art therapy, which can include painting, sculpting, building and doll-making to help kids express what they re feeling, through story, picture and play. $200 $600 $1,000 $1,250

7 Elisa s Story While children and families make up a large part of the people accessing Healing Arts in Alberta, adults facing and surviving a diagnosis have their own challenges to deal with. There are no limits to the imagination in finding creative ways of expressing grief. Elisa Fernandez knows that well. Although a cancer diagnosis forces you to deal with mortality, it also can shine a light on everything you have. For Elisa, art provided the key to see things clearly. Elisa was finishing her master s degree in archeology in her home country of Costa Rica when she knew something wasn t quite right. Facing academic pressure to succeed, she was in the midst of defending her thesis when she noticed a few strange symptoms. She had a biopsy done two days before Christmas, moved alone to Canada and waited for the results. Further testing at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre revealed her cancer was all over her breast and growing quickly into her lymph nodes. She immediately started chemotherapy, followed by radiation, while still continuing her PhD so she wouldn t lose her scholarship. There are no limits to the imagination in finding creative ways of expressing grief. In the middle of treatment, Elisa learned about a creative journaling group. Art was always in the back of my mind but I was always so afraid of trying it. I thought if I can t do it well, I don t want to do it. Creative journaling led to trying watercolours, sketching, charcoal almost anything she could literally get her hands on. She immersed herself in the Healing Arts programs at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and in between radiation treatments, her teaching assistant role and her own classes, she looked forward to her art sessions the most. It s been a team effort to keep me alive, says Elisa. This diagnosis has made me value life and see it in a different perspective. Art gave me the opportunity to imagine a life much different than the one I was heading towards. It s incredible how some papers, some paint and some colour can make you feel. There is a long list of other Albertans who need that same space to heal. With your support, we can help.

8 Supportive Care Last year, Healing Arts offered support to 33 groups in Calgary and Edmonton. There is a level of mentorship and community that takes place in these groups, says Allan Rosales, art therapist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. Being together where people can share experiences creates hope, which is a powerful emotion, says Allan. Some people have never done anything artistic before, some come with an artistic background we meet each person where they are and find that there are infinite ways to express yourselves. That s what is so powerful about Healing Arts, is that creative spark that lets you imagine and see things in a way you wouldn t have before. Being together where people can share experiences creates hope, which is a powerful emotion. Together, we have the power to change lives. Be part of this $300,000 investment that will make life better for Albertans facing cancer. Your support will help improve the quality of life of patients which can have a positive impact on health outcomes. Your support can help families heal and build resilience. Thank you for making life better for Albertans facing cancer.

9 The Alberta Cancer Foundation is proud to be the official fundraising partner of all 17 Alberta Health Services cancer centres across Alberta. Foundation Offices Edmonton Street NW Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3H1 P: Calgary Suite Street NW Calgary, Alberta T2N 4L7 P: Cross Cancer Institute University Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 P: Tom Baker Cancer Centre Street NW Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 P: Cancer Centres Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary Regional Cancer Centres Central Alberta (Red Deer), Grande Prairie, Jack Ady Cancer Centre (Lethbridge), Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre, (Medicine Hat) Community Cancer Centres Barrhead, Bonnyville, Bow Valley, Camrose, Drayton Valley, Drumheller, High River, Hinton, Lloydminster, Fort McMurray, Peace River albertacancer.ca Charitable registration number RR0001