Pictured: Chris Dube, garden volunteer, at the QEII Cancer Centre’s Radiation Therapy Garden.
For three long years, the curtains on the large picture windows remained tightly drawn in the waiting room of the James and Edna Claydon Radiation Treatment Clinic at the QEII, concealing the view of a parking lot and an unkempt garden that had fallen out of use due to the disruptions of COVID-19.
It was a bright day on June 26, 2024, when the curtains were finally lifted and the revived QEII Cancer Centre’s Radiation Therapy Garden was unveiled in an intimate outdoor celebration. The Nova Scotian sunshine reflected the cheerful mood of the crowd, excited to celebrate a special green space for our local hospital.
Funded entirely by generous donors, including those from the QEII Foundation, the revived garden is tucked just outside of the QEII Cancer Centre’s Radiation Therapy waiting room, where cancer patients await radiation treatment.
Patients now have a scenic window view into a calming space filled with flowers, trees and inviting, bright décor. They can also step outside into the garden for a quiet moment of reflection in nature.
Erin Fair, Volunteer Services Coordinator for Cancer Care and Palliative Care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, explains that it was a year-long process filled with many helping hands to revive the Radiation Therapy Garden, which hadn’t been maintained since pre-pandemic. The project also had the bonus of bringing volunteer activity back to the Cancer Centre in a safe way.
“The QEII Cancer Centre was one of the last places we brought volunteers into after COVID-19,” Fair explains. “We could get volunteers involved with reviving the garden, since they would be outside and not in patient spaces.”
Untangling and renovating the space was a daunting task for all involved. Fair describes the space as a “jungle,” wild and overgrown. The walkway was obscured by brush, and years of roots weaved deep throughout the garden beds.
Many generous community members and local businesses raised funds or directly donated supplies like soil, seeds, plants, and tools, while QEII Cancer Centre volunteers tackled the art and labour of space planning and gardening.
Left: Before the revival of the garden. Right: The community gathers on the morning of the unveiling celebration.
QEII Foundation donors in partnership with Halifax Seed contributed funds for a large planter box, while the Saint Mary's University Women's Volleyball Team rallied to raise funds through the QEII Foundation for a bench. A donor-funded QEII Foundation Comfort & Care grant also helped provide funds for gardening supplies.
“This planter was donated through the QEII Foundation, and the sweet pea flowers inside were planted just this morning in partnership with Halifax Seed as a gesture of gratitude for our donors who reached 10 years of consecutive giving in 2023,” said Erin Dunsworth, QEII Foundation Donor Experience Coordinator, on the morning of the unveiling.
“Planting flowers in one of the healing gardens of the QEII, the Radiation Therapy Garden, is our way to show gratitude to those who make so much possible. And in my opinion, it is a beautiful way to show the connection between donors and those they support with their generosity.”
The garden's sweet peas and other carefully selected plants and trees, planned by volunteer gardeners and community consultants, ensure that there’s always something beautiful to behold.
This serene outdoor space is designed to promote relaxation, enhancing the experience for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
“I imagine for people in their own thoughts, waiting for cancer treatment, how stressful that must be,” says Fair. “Now, they are able to look out the window or go outside and have a focal point – and enjoy what they see.”
Pictured: Calming features of the new Radiation Therapy Garden.
Fair expresses that she was incredibly impressed – and encouraged – by the outpouring of support that went into reviving the garden.
“It was like an orchestra, because everybody’s piece made this magic happen. It couldn’t have happened without everybody’s role, their involvement, and what they had to share.”
She highlights the unique spirit of Nova Scotia, where people go the extra mile to lift each other up.
“Nova Scotia is truly that province where people will literally give you the shirt off their backs. I’m reminded of it all the time – people going way above and beyond to make people feel loved and supported in their own ways.”
“People give what they can and it’s hugely impactful. I’m just so grateful for it.”
Sincere thanks to the many community businesses and individuals who donated materials and time to help make the Radiation Therapy Garden revival happen: QEII Cancer Centre volunteers, SMU Women’s Volleyball Team, Atlantic Road Construction & Paving Ltd, Elmsdale Landscaping Ltd, Lee Valley Tools Ltd, Scotiascapes Landscaping Inc, Vincent Vaters, Halifax Seed Company Inc and Demonte Monuments & Granite Products.
