Cards for Cancer Care: An Artist’s Gift

You can’t help but smile. The paintings of cats and dogs, beautifully rendered in watercolour, leap off the paper with sheer joy. It’s this sense of joy that Heather Harrison McRae loves to capture and convey through her paintings of family pets.

“In October 2021, my friends Colleen Shipp and Ang O’Neill called me on the same day to let me know they’d been diagnosed with cancer,” recalls Heather, who paints from her home studio in Paris. “On top of that, Ang’s husband Jake was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago, and he received great care at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.”

Inspired to help, Heather decided to create greeting cards and sell them for $5 each, with all proceeds supporting Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre Foundation. The cards feature Heather’s portraits of pets that are helping their families deal with cancer.

Many businesses in the region are selling the cards, including The Paris Bohemian Gallery and Jiggs-n-Reels Seafood Market in Paris; Inspirational Hearts and MedicWear in Brantford; and Baskets ‘N’ Bundles in Ancaster.

“I’m having fun selling cards in the community,” says Colleen. “This gives me something positive to focus on as I continue my cancer treatment.”

As word spreads about the cards, Heather hopes that more businesses will begin to sell them.

“It’s fantastic that Heather is using her talents to support cancer care,” says Ang. “Her efforts are sure to help so many patients.”

For more information, visit heatherharrisonmcrae.ca.