Maintaining Independence Through Art

When my grandmother was first diagnosed with cancer, one of her main fears was the knowledge that she would one day lose all of her independence. She had already watched her husband get sick with the same disease she now had and she had seen how quickly it prevented him from doing the things he once loved. 

When I was little, the one thing I was certain of about my grandmother was that she loved to knit. I remember going to the yarn store with her, where we would choose new wool for her projects and flip through the catalogs for pattern ideas. Even after her cancer diagnosis, my grandmother continued to knit. It connected her to her community. Her friends and family received scarves and hats and gloves. If she found out someone she knew was having a baby, they knew to expect a freshly knitted baby onesie within the coming weeks. Being able to knit kept her active and connected to those she loved. When the pain became too much to bear, she unfortunately had to stop knitting. She still loved to listen to music, but she missed the craft she had always loved. 

Losing the ability to knit, among many other things, caused her disease to progress much faster. It made me realize how much hobbies and art can impact our wellbeing, and influence our ability to carry on.

My grandmother loved to knit, and she loved to share her art with others. Just like her, HMF aims to share its art and mission with others to improve patient outcomes and allow people to maintain their independence.

Gabrielle MacEwen