Garden of Hope takes bloom at Carbonear General Hospital

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Carbonear General Hospital has officially opened its Garden of Hope to bring comfort to cancer patients and their families.
Located on the third floor of the hospital, the garden is on a patio just outside the medical daycare, where cancer patients receive chemotherapy. The unit sees about 25 to 30 chemotherapy patients a week.
The Garden of Hope was created thanks to Power of Life, a corporate partnership between Newfoundland Power and the Cancer Care Foundation. Power of Life supports cancer care and cancer patients in many ways, such as by purchasing cancer treatment equipment, comfort equipment, and through the Patient and Family Support Fund.
In 2021, an application for funding was submitted to Power of Life for a Garden of Hope to be created in the patio space at the hospital. At that time, $10,000 was awarded for the project. In 2023, an additional $29,000 in funding was awarded from Power of Life to build on the original plan, adding additional furnishings, greenery, and flowers. Gardens of Hope have been established in St. John’s, Grand Falls-Windsor, Corner Brook, Stephenville, and now, Carbonear.
“This garden serves as a great reminder to everyone that everything has potential,” said Emily Geary, the interim executive director of the Cancer Care Foundation. “What was once an unused patio area that needed work to even be functional is now a beautiful refuge that will positively contribute to the well-being of patients and their family members.”
Geary said research has shown therapeutic spaces like gardens can have a beneficial effect on cancer patients, their families, and caregivers.
“These Gardens of Hope offer space for patients and families to step away for a minute, have a coffee, or wait for their appointment,” she said.
“We understand that patients and loved ones may find themselves in the Garden of Hope during stressful and uncertain times,” added Fraser Fry, NL Health Services’ senior operations officer for the Eastern rural zone. “We hope that this new welcoming space serves as a source of strength and that you may find comfort in that care provided by our compassionate healthcare professionals here at the Carbonear General Hospital.”
Newfoundland Power CEO and president Gary Murray said the company and its employees are glad to have placed a role in creating the garden.
“Newfoundland Power has more than 600 employees working in communities across the province,” said Murray. “And while our job is to keep the lights on, we also believe in shining the light where it is most needed. Over more than 20 years, through employee-led fundraisers, corporate support, payroll contributions, and the generosity of customers, we’ve been able to contribute more than five million dollars to cancer care right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Lindsay Dawe, the division manager for the regional medicine program, which makes her responsible for the operations of the medical daycare, said the project faced challenges such as changes in staffing and delays in construction due to the pandemic. She thanked former division manager Susanne Dohey and former infrastructure manager Ian Green for their contributions to the project.
Registered nurse Charlene Bradbury was invited to give a patient’s perspective. Originally from Carbonear, Bradbury has been a nurse for 30 years. She worked in labour and delivery in St. John’s for 28 years before taking a position at Carbonear General Hospital. She began working in ambulatory care clinics in January 2024. There she learned many things, including the symptoms of colon cancer. By that summer, she was experiencing those symptoms herself. Bradbury was eventually diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, with metastasis to her liver and possibly her lung.
“For a minute, it was like the ground fell out from under me,” said Bradbury. “But then I realized, the only option for me was to fight. I had been a fighter all my life, and this wasn’t about to change me.”
Bradbury had a resection performed in September of 2024 and finished her chemotherapy treatments in June this year. She is awaiting scans and results to determine what the next step is. She admitted to viewing the world differently after her diagnosis.
“I appreciated how blue the sky was,” she said, “how pretty the clouds were, how beautiful the first snowfall was. This Garden of Hope will be a place that people like me, people with cancer, can take in the beauty and aroma of these beautiful flowers, sit in the moment, and appreciate the world through our changed eyes. It is so truly amazing and generous that you all have provided this lovely escape for those who are living with cancer, treatments, appointments, and so on. It is, unmistakeably, a Garden of Hope.”