The vibrant paintings and photographs fill the hallways with color, enhancing the healing environment and uplifting the emotional wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff.
At the spring 2026 unveiling, grateful patient Karen Henka Minnie delivered heartfelt remarks to the artists, families and community members gathered in celebration of cancer survivorship and the healing power of art. We share those remarks here, lightly edited for length.
Nineteen months ago, I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. It was a diagnosis that seemed to come out of nowhere and was devastating to say the least. I am a never-smoker, active, and a health-conscious retiree. So, although anyone with lungs can be impacted by lung cancer, it was definitely not on my bingo card. My husband Leo and I were relishing our retired life in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York when the bubble burst on our idyllic existence after a five-day hospital stay at our local hospital.
We immediately got to work educating ourselves about which cancer centers nationwide could offer not only cutting-edge treatment of my cancer itself, but also where I could receive comprehensive supportive care to help with my mental and spiritual health. The integrative approach at City of Hope Orange County was hands down our first, and really only, choice. Four days later, I embarked upon my healing journey, which began by walking into this very lobby that imparted not only professionalism and expertise, but also the peace and hope that is offered here.
When I was asked to speak to you this evening about my cancer journey and how the art and aesthetics in this building have affected my healing and well-being, I immediately thought of an interaction I had with Nik, one of the City of Hope Lobby Ambassadors, a few weeks ago. We both happened to be walking down the hallway between the hospital and the imaging department at the same time. Nik was most likely on his way to complete a task, but he took the time to stop and ask me how I was doing. I imagine he must have sensed my angst, and sure enough I happened to be in the middle of a nerve-wracking week anticipating the results of an MRI that could have potentially changed the trajectory of my treatment and prognosis. I relished the distraction and I told him that since I had a bit of a break between appointments, I was just admiring the artwork and for the first time I realized that the paintings are grouped by theme.
We happened to stop in front of a group of paintings that were mostly landscapes, and Nik pointed out the painting that most resonated with him. It’s a serene scene by the artist Jim McLoughlin of a woman sitting at the edge of a pond in a meadow as she looks up at a snow-capped mountain. Nik told me that the painting induced a sense of peace in him. I was astounded because of all the paintings I was admiring, that painting in particular resonates in me the tranquility I feel when I’m at my home in the hamlet of Old Forge, New York. When I told that to Nik, he was intrigued about my journey from a small town in upstate New York to City of Hope Orange County.
We spent several minutes chatting about how I ended up seeking treatment here, as well as my love of the Adirondacks, our mutual fandom of the Buffalo Bills, and how I basically am a cancer commuter from the east to the west coast every other week. But then our conversation pivoted to how so many of the paintings we were surrounded by give me a sense of peace, similar to how I feel when I’m at home in the Adirondacks. We spent the next several minutes reflecting on how many of the paintings brought forth calming and reflective feelings in both of us.
That one painting of a young woman staring at a mountain sparked a conversation that not only led to an unexpected connection but also helped me calm my anxiety and fears and forget about my health and my plight for a while.
That’s the power of art. It fosters relationships, it allows us to immerse ourselves in other worlds, it stimulates creative thinking, and it births imagination.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the artists who have contributed their works to this meaningful and inspiring display. Your artwork is guaranteed to invoke smiles, help heal wounded souls, and bring a sense of peace to those of us in the battle of our lives. I look upon these paintings here in the lobby as well as throughout the cancer center and hospital as a tapestry of hope.
The montage of paintings on these walls reflects different visions, different feelings, different emotions and different experiences, much as all the doctors, nurses and staff at City of Hope weave their experiences, knowledge and backgrounds together to create a community of healing.
Our individual tapestries are made up of the parts that help us heal and thrive — our care teams, our families and friends — and these tapestries of life, much like the tapestries of art we see along these walls, are all reflections of hope.
Hope is indeed a masterpiece.
Also read:
Beauty in Hope: In a Room Filled with Mirrors, Courage Was Reflected Back
Talking Hope: The changing lung cancer story: What you need to know
A Living Promise of Hope