By Nancy Edwards
Local fifth-grade students giving just one hour of their time are spreading enough hope and encouragement to cancer patients at St.Vincent’s Hospital to last a lifetime.
Students from Annette Probst’s classroom at Sand Creek Intermediate School have been creating artwork with inspiring messages for the past several years to give faith and courage to those going through treatments for breast cancer.
The idea began with Deybrian and Phil Redd, both students at Sand Creek, when their mother, Dr. Deborah Redd, learned she had breast cancer in December 2010.
“I’m a physician,” Redd said. “I never thought I’d be diagnosed with cancer.”
Her children decided they wanted to do something to make a difference in their mother’s life by drawing pictures and messages of hope for her. As they witnessed the positive impact on their mom, Deybrian and Phil worked with their teachers and classmates to lift the spirits of others living with cancer.
Probst, Deybrian’s former teacher, has continued the tradition annually with her fifth-grade class.
“The students reach people they never know and are making an impact on their lives,” Probst said. “Sometimes the students continue the projects even though (they have graduated to another class and) they no longer need to.”
The students’ artwork is matched up with patients who decide which message inspires them the most, according to Dr. Ruemu Birhiray, oncologist for St.Vincent’s Breast Center. He noted that more than 100 patients have taken home their art.
“Just one hour (spent creating the art) becomes a lifetime for someone else,” he said.
The students’ most recent creations are being hung on office walls of St.Vincent’s Breast Center in Indianapolis to give hope to current cancer patients.
Redd noted that the encouraging artwork is giving patients a positive attitude and helping them live longer.
“What (the students) are doing is making a difference in saving lives,” she said.