Art by cancer survivor

BANGOR – Physicians and nurses have discovered that art, music, dance and poetry have profound healing effects. Because art brings to the human spirit a sense of freedom and joy, CancerCare of Maine regularly hosts art exhibits.

This month, CancerCare of Maine is displaying oil paintings by Mark Nutt, local artist and former CancerCare patient who spent 12 years in banking until he became ill.

“I quit my job without a plan,” Nutt said. “Two weeks later I was in the field painting. I have no regrets. People say that it was a courageous thing to do; it was about saving my life.” He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In January 1998 Nutt had his last chemotherapy session. Last year he ceased monitoring at CancerCare because he is now cancer free for 10 years.

“They say it’s remission; I say it’s gone,” Nutt said. “While I was sick I had lots of time to think and reflect on how amazing life really is. My experience with cancer has been enlightening, educational and deeply spiritual.”

Nutt believes that his experiences inform what he paints.

“Compared to a lot of other people, my cancer was a walk in the park,” he said. “I learned how to be a patient advocate. I keep cancer as a piece of my life, not all of my life.”

Art has been a part of Nutt’s life since he was a child. Since then he has done more than 160 paintings, some of which have been exhibited at galleries across the United States, Canada and England, but the exhibit at CancerCare has special meaning for him.

It’s not about selling paintings; it’s about giving people an opportunity to see and experience his work. He hopes that his paintings bring hope to current CancerCare patients, just as painting brought hope to his life when he struggled with the disease.

Nutt plans to donate a painting to the new CancerCare building, a painting he will create specifically for the space.

The new CancerCare facility is scheduled to open in Brewer in late 2009.

Support for stutterers

ORONO – The Orono-University of Maine Chapter of the National Stuttering Association will meet 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in the basement lounge of Dunn Hall, across from Alfond Arena.

The goals of chapter meetings are to provide support, education and a “stutter friendly” environment. If you stutter or if you know someone who stutters, you are not alone, meeting organizers said.

For information, call Marybeth Allen, 581-2401 or 866-2401, e-mail mbslp@midmaine.com, or visit www.WeStutter.org.

Memory and aging meeting

BANGOR – The Uptown Business and Professional Women invite the public to a Memory, Aging and Alzheimer’s meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at St. Joseph Hospital’s St. Francis Center on Center Street. Guest speaker will be Darlene Field, education and training specialist with the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter.

Information on memory loss

BANGOR – The Bangor Memory Joggers will hold a second informational meeting for those experiencing early memory loss 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at First United Methodist Church, 703 Essex St.

The Alzheimer’s Association will present the video, “Alzheimer’s from the Inside Out: One Man’s Story,” about Dr. Richard Taylor, who lived with the diagnosis of dementia, probably of the Alzheimer’s type, for five years. A retired psychologist, he is an advocate for improved Alzheimer’s care.

Dr. Judy P. Walker will speak on “Cognitive Retraining of Memory.” She is the associate professor and chairwoman of the University of Maine Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Call 945-0122 for information.

Organ donation medal

BANGOR – Deborah Carey Johnson, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Medical Center, announced that EMMC has earned the 2008 Organ Donation Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, its fourth in a row. The award is given to hospitals and organ procurement organizations for excellence in helping grieving families make the decision to help others through organ donation.

According to the New England Organ Bank, there have been 29 organ donors in Maine so far in 2008, 13 from EMMC. A total of 28 people were given a second chance to live as a result of the selfless decision by these 13 individuals and their families.

Dr. Joanmarie Pellegrini, a surgeon with Surgery and Trauma Specialists of Maine, said, “Eastern Maine Medical Center’s commitment to organ donation is an excellent example of our commitment to optimizing the health of patients throughout the state of Maine. We are very fortunate to have the resources available to offer donor families this opportunity to turn some of their grief into a chance at a new life for another family. Organ donation continues to be exceedingly important because it is the only chance for life for many patients on the waiting lists. I am so proud to work for a hospital and live in a community that considers organ donation to be so important.”