The Hope Tree

Our blog has been quiet for awhile, but now I think we're ready to become aquainted again. Crystal has lived on through our memories and prayers, and now she will be able to continue her quest of helping those through cancer in a most unique way.



Carol Jeanotilla, a friend of Jason's, is an amazing artist who has been working on "The Hope Tree". You can see Jason and Carol in the picture above. Crystal wore a locket during her treatment that looked like a treasure chest. She kept all of her hopes and dreams safely tucked inside. Now the locket has become part of the sculpture, Jason was able to place it there himself.



Here, Jason is able to place a note from family members inside of one of the branches that will be sealed inside. You can see a camera man behind Jason filming a documentary that will follow the tree for one year.



The photo above shows the crucifix from Crystal's service inside the base of the tree. What a lovely reminder of how her memory will be forever helping new cancer patients who visit this beautiful sculpture. It was Crystal's dream to be a nurse since she was a little girl. She was able to help so many through their journeys with cancer. Now her dream of a long nursing career can be realized through the strength she showed during her illness, and now with her memories being held inside of this beautiful tree of hope.

The sculpture will be installed on October 11, 2009 (if construction follows the schedule) at the Martin O'Neil Cancer Center on the beautiful St. Helena Hospital Campus. The dedication ceremony will take place November 20, 2009.

I hope that I will be able to visit the tree in the future. It was so amazing to see itas a work in progress. The completed sculpture will have a bronze base, the tree itself will be platinum, and there will be a cape of copper that will envelop the tree as a symbol of a nurses cape. The artist Carol Jeanotilla started out her career out as a nurse before she became an artist full time. She was able to combine her caring nature and her art into the most amazing symbol of healing.