Patients and Volunteers Soar with the Eagles as Art à la Carte Delivers Hope
After writing an article on Art à la Carte for The Jewish Free Press, Maxine Fischbein was so moved by the program that she decided to become involved herself. Now she writes both from her heart, and personal experience.
By: Maxine Fischbein

On March 24, 2010, volunteers who set out to navigate the hallway of Unit 47 at Foothills Hospital were privileged to meet a family whose story captures the very essence of Art à la Carte.

The program delivers hope to cancer patients and their families on a cart loaded with art. Moving from room to room, the volunteers meet wonderful people who, sadly, are engaged in the fight of their lives as they, or their loved ones, fight the beast known as cancer.

In the middle of that ugly situation, volunteers like Ruth and Cynthia bring beauty to the bedsides and the very souls of cancer patients and their loved ones as they assist them in choosing art work to adorn the walls of their hospital rooms.

Soaring High (Image by Bruce McGaw Graphics)

Some are comforted by flowers; others by mountain or ocean scenes. As Ruth and Cynthia load the cart earlier in the day, they choose to include an image of an eagle soaring against a backdrop of mountains.

They share it with several patients who, in the end, prefer other images.

Then, during the last visit of the day, they bring the eagle “home” to the right people at precisely the right time.

The patient, a middle-aged gentleman – though weak – is visibly excited by the majestic bird. Stepping into the hallway, his wife, a lovely lady, explains why.

The eagle, she tells us, brings back memories of the couple’s beloved son who, tragically, passed away at the tender age of 19. She relates that the young man’s bedcover had upon it a virtually identical image of an eagle. Then, when they arrived at the funeral home to take their son on his final journey, they were surprised to encounter a framed image of a very similar eagle.

It seems clear that this was no mere coincidence. A friend of theirs who belongs to one of Canada’s First Nations came to the funeral with an eagle feather in hand to honour the memory of the young man.

Incredibly, the mother who had lost a son and is now caring for a very ill husband, is eager to tell Art à la Carte volunteers just how much it means to her and her husband to be able to choose such a personally meaningful image for his room.

“The eagle represents the spirit soaring to heaven,” says the woman who adds that this reminder of their son brings comfort to them, especially in the midst of her husband’s decline.

We thank her for sharing her memories and her incredible strength with us. This story – as well as others that Art à la Carte volunteers hear in the line of duty – drives home the power of art in lifting the spirits and feeding the souls of cancer patients and their families.

Insights into the lives of the people we meet while volunteering for Art à la Carte breathes life into the art we look forward to bringing them each week. The stories they, in turn, share with us elevate our spirits. We are truly blessed to bring soaring eagles – and hundreds of other comforting images – to the bedsides of some truly remarkable people.

And none of us will ever look at an eagle in quite the same way.