Title: Wings of Empowerment Door #29
Artist: Carolyn Lewis
Visit www.hopeishome.org to view all 42 Doors of Hope and don’t forget to Vote for Door 29!
Artist Statement: In 2004, I was working as the Art Therapist on the pediatric oncology unit at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and had the honor of meeting a 12 year old girl named Kira that forever changed my life. Kira was in the hospital following a brain tumor diagnosis. We developed a fast friendship. She would often share things with me that she was too scared to share with her parents. She fought her battle like a warrior. I worked with her through some challenging days, tense and scary moments, celebrations, and hard goodbyes. She was a spunky, kind hearted, creative kid that loved life to the fullest degree. She was the oldest of four kids and showed her siblings what bravery truly meant. Kira passed away in July of 2006, just over a year after she was diagnosed with cancer.
On days when Kira was too tired or weak from her cancer treatments for us to work together, I would sit with her mom, Katie. Naturally, her mother was scared. But, she never let Kira see that side. Katie and I have remained in contact all these years. We keep Kira's spirit alive by sharing funny stories about our time together. Kira made such a positive impact on every person that came in contact with her. What a blessing! Recently, I began making a series of mixed media pieces called The Flock of Empowerment. I used fabrics and dried paint palettes from past work to create these birds. The words on the wings were inspired by those that shared their own empowering stories with me, from a daily meditation, or an experience that propelled me to examine a different perspective. The empowering words are pulled from my grandmother’s dictionary she used in the 1940s. These dictionaries and their whispers encourage me to fly, to recover, to reflect, to become, to witness, to listen, and to keep going. My red shoes remind me to keep putting one foot in front of the other and you'll see this reminder on each of the birds too. I asked Kira's mother, Katie, to share some empowering words with me. She replied with “resilient,” “joy” and “bravery.” Kira's favorite color was purple, so shades of purple are prominent in these birds.
My intention is to re-create and paint these birds on each side of the door with acrylic paint in memory of Kira and in honor of her mother, Katie. They represent the brave kids and the resilient parents walking the cancer journey.
A door is a symbol of a journey, a transition or metamorphosis. These are the same feelings that many cancer patients and their families experience on their quest for wellness. A door is also a symbol of our city welcoming guests to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in St.Louis to be a part of our community during their time of treatment and care.
As part of the Hope Is Home initiative, the Society has partnered with local artists to create 42 doorways, symbolizing the 42 guest suites available at the new facility. Each door is unique, as is each patient’s journey to wellness. However, the doors are part of a collection — a community — representing what each guest experiences at Hope Lodge St. Louis.
Visit www.hopeishome.org to view all 42 Doors of Hope