June 25, 2015
Story and photo by Kristin Bernhard
No longer able to design buildings due to his cancer diagnosis, Carmel Gatt now designs images of hope.
The Calgary man, a prominent architect for 36 years, had to give up his practice when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“The day I closed my office after 23 years was one of the saddest in my life,” says Gatt.
To cope with his cancer and the gravity of the situation, Gatt turned to painting. His most recent creation is displayed by the Healing Arts program at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
“There is a lot of uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis,” says Gatt. “The opportunity to make this painting gave me a purpose. Here was a painting with hope at its heart.”
Funded by the Alberta Cancer Foundation and part of provincial supportive care services, Healing Arts programming helps patients and families find creative expression to confront the complex feelings that come with a cancer diagnosis.
Programs available include art therapy, expressive and spontaneous painting, hand drumming, laughter yoga and origami. The Healing Arts program in Calgary has been running for almost six months and is adapted from the Arts in Medicine program at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute, which has successfully helped patients and families for more than 15 years.
Healing Arts is also exploring ways to support patients through music performances, and by displaying patients’ art in the community and in health care facilities.
Gatt’s painting was unveiled for display in the outpatient clinics area at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre this past spring.
Entitled Blooms of Hope, the painting shows a cluster of vibrantly coloured flowers.
“Every flower was chosen by a different member of my oncology team,” says Gatt. “They are the first level of hope and they gave me hope every day.”
Hidden in the painting is a butterfly that is seeking healing from the flowers. Gatt says the butterfly represents cancer patients after learning of their diagnosis, coming into the blooms of hope on their health care journey.
“Each flower was drawn the same way we deal with cancer – one step at a time – one flower at a time,” he says.
Nova-Lee Dobush, a scheduler at the Tom Baker, is thankful for not only the beautiful painting, but also where it is displayed.
“I walk down this hallway almost 30 times a day,” says Dobush, “and from now on, every time I will walk past this painting and I will think of hope.”
Gatt says the painting was done from the heart so others could enjoy its images and take courage from what it represents.
And that is exactly what happened just moments after it was unveiled.
Debby Bodner, 64, was diagnosed in late March with Stage 3 multiple myeloma. A resident of Namaka, a hamlet located 16 km east of Strathmore, she and husband Georg were at the Tom Baker that day for a sixth round of chemotherapy.
“My husband and I were coming down the hallway and we were stopped in our tracks,” says Bodner. “When I saw the painting, I just thought it was so beautiful. It makes my spirit feel happy and makes me feel good to see it when I pass by.”
Bringing that bit of joy to cancer patients and families is what Gatt wanted to achieve, but he had not expected the result to be so instantaneous.
“Hope is the answer to cancer,” says Gatt. “For many outside of cancer, it is a death sentence. But what I have found is there is a lot of life after cancer. I’ve learned to live in the moment. Hope is everywhere and, if this painting can give hope to others, then my job is done.”
