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Mercy patients create artistic postcards on the Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit.

Local Artist Andrea Cooper Volunteers With Patients In Mercy's Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit

Local artist Andrea (Andy) Cooper volunteers in Mercy Medical Center's Outpatient Chemotherapy unit, once a week, helping patients make decorative and meaningful postcards, collages, paintings and other creative endeavors. Ms. Cooper, a cancer survivor herself, lives with chronic pain. "Physically, it is a huge effort for me to work with the patients at Mercy, but this work is spiritually important to me, and gives me great joy, which I think is one of the best painkillers in the world. I am also a volunteer patient advocate with the American Pain Foundation. The advocacy component is also part of what I do at Mercy," she said.

In Her Own Words... Andrea Cooper speaks on working with Mercy's chemotherapy patients:

"During the month of June, as part of a trial grant program through the Langiappe Project, I visited the chemotherapy unit several times, for several hours each visit. It was a rich, rewarding experience that for me, brought a great sense of giving back as a former cancer patient, a patient advocate and an artist. The patients benefited in a number of ways, and many remarked on the novelty of the project and were so happy to have the opportunity to participate. Some had never experienced many of the techniques I showed them. Their smiles lit up the room."

"My approach was to create small postcards, to be decorated with collage materials, including recycled magazines, colored tissue paper, strips of decorative paper, glue, buttons, rubber stamps, ribbons and other elements. I provided scissors, markers, pencils, pens and other writing implements. I assisted patients when they needed help, provided inspiration for layout ideas or guidance in the creative process. At the end of the project, I created a framed, paper quilt of many of the finished cards. It's hanging on the wall in the unit, and gets many compliments."

"Some patients wanted to write poems to accompany their images; others wanted to portray important elements from their life experiences. Others wanted to create a pretty picture. In one instance, a patient and his wife worked for a long time to find just the right photos to portray their life-long love of birds, fish and wildlife. In another case, a woman created a memorable floral collage to remember her last chemo treatment, with a poem that went with it. Sometimes teams of visitors and patients created one image, other times they each created their own. Some wanted to contribute their art to enrich the center’s collection, others wanted to take them home to enjoy.

"There were times when patients were too sick to muster the energy to work on a piece of art. Sometimes they just wanted to talk about what they were going through or just chat. Because I have gone through cancer treatment myself, including chemo and radiation, and I am a trained patient advocate, I felt that they appreciated a supportive ear, and were comforted as well. I tried to incorporate funny stories from my own experience to lighten the mood when possible. Some patients just enjoyed talking about poetry or art, writing, knitting, ceramics or other creative endeavors they’ve experienced in their lives. Most times, though, while we talked, we did art"

Since September, I have continued my art sessions in the outpatient infusion area as a volunteer, as my grant funding expired. I've been offering a range of art activities, trying to spark patients' interests, whether we're doing water colors, crayon textural rubbings, textile art or seasonal projects. I hope to provide not only distraction through art work, but also give patients and caregivers a feeling of accomplishment and sense of play for patients and their families, who are undergoing stressful procedures, and are naturally anxious and in need of kindness and support."

"I feel lucky to have this opportunity to share my talents with the patients and wonderful staff at Mercy. It's a gift."