NORFOLK, Va. — The Sentara Brock Cancer center is in its sixth year of its loaned art program, which chooses local artists to display their work for a year in the center.
Some of the selected artists have personal experiences with cancer and its taxing recovery process. One such artist is Amber Goins, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
“I’ve had seven surgeries in the past 12 months,” Goins said.
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Her grandmother taught her how to quilt when she was young, and little did she know it would play a role in her recovery. She says the quilting community is a tight-knit group, and when word got out about her diagnosis, her quilting cousins showed up.
“I had breast cancer surgery, a double mastectomy, and when I got home, there was a box on my front porch. I opened it up, and it was all of this beautiful fabric from the fabric designer. I cried and immediately started sewing,” she recalled.
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Quilting was one of the few things Goins could do, as she was not able to raise her arms very high during the recovery process.
“When you’re so limited in movement, being able to use something so colorful that makes you happy and for it to be productive, and for people to like it, is everything,” she said.
Now, Goins is giving back. She is among 26 local artists chosen to have their art displayed for a year at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center as part of its loaned art program.
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“The art in here has inspired me. I always walked the halls for the past couple of years to see it,” she said.
Artist and cancer survivor Amber Goins along with the Sentara doctors who care for patients at the Brock Cancer Center are helping to uplift the Hampton Roads community.
“I hope it makes them happy, that they look at it and smile,” Goins concluded.
