I love seeing people, and I am planning to leave a legacy of my writing. To share some of who I am by putting it down on paper where it can last forever. (June 2, 2009)
This multimedia showcase is dedicated to Joan M. O'Brien: wife, mother, grandmother, friend, attorney, artist, writer, woman of deep faith who battled breast cancer for fourteen years.
As a companion to the printed book of her writing, The Quilt of My Life, this Website offers you a deeper look into her creations: her words written and shared with family and friends, her publications, her watercolors and oil paintings, and her wisdom about working through cancer, about the power of medicine and pathways to healing, and about her own spiritual journey.
Joan's fourteen-year battle included nine surgeries, many multi-week chemotherapy and radiation sessions, doctor and hospital visits too numerous to count, and the devastating impact of extreme lymphedema and anasarca. On May 18, 2009, Joan was advised that she only had a few weeks left to live. She went home where her family cared for her until, nearly four months later, she passed on.
But she never gave up; instead, she rallied on "with a fire inside," as she described it, looking to each new day with an open heart and deep gratitude. During those her final precious months, she devoted herself to spending time with family and friends, to preparing spiritually for death, and to creating a legacy to leave for her loved ones.
We invite you to browse the photo gallery, read her words, gaze at her artwork, and share in her wisdom and joy for life.
Buy a copy of Joan's book The Quilt of My Life on Amazon.com or Lulu