Artist’s cancer treatment inspires colourful appeal

Woman paints impressive design to help repay Maggie’s for their support

When 80 penguins waddle into Dundee for the start of the Penguin Parade on June 29, they will each have their own story to tell in their role to raise vital funds for Maggie’s Dundee.

One penguin has a poignant back story and as today is World Penguin Day it’s the perfect time to reveal it.

When painter and designer Yvonne Stewart was a diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she began an emotional journey and her penguin, Cancer Care Penguin, charts that odyssey.

“The first part of my treatment was to have a mastectomy,” recalls Yvonne, who lives in the Fife village of Balmullo.

“I then had chemotherapy for around six months, followed by radiotherapy for four weeks.

“It was during chemotherapy I turned to the Maggie’s Centre. I had lost all my hair and my eyebrows and eyelashes were sparse,” she continues.

“A nurse had told me Maggie’s ran a workshop I could go on called Look Good, Feel Better and I would be with other people going through similar experiences to myself.”

After Yvonne’s radiotherapy ended she received various drug therapies and although she’s still being treated now, it’s likely she will finally finish all treatment in a year or so. Wanting to repay Maggie’s for their support, she decided to paint a penguin to raise cash for them.

“In 2016 I saw the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail and I loved going round Dundee with my son spotting them all,” she says.

“I remember at the time thinking how much I would like to be involved with a project like that and because Maggie’s is the only charity I’ve ever received support from it made it extra special to me to paint a penguin to help raise funds for them.”

One person who is especially in tune with Yvonne’s cancer story is Dr Rod Mountain, a specialist in head and neck cancer. “Over many years I have worked together with the team at the Ninewells Maggie’s Centre and in 2016 I helped fundraise for the Oor Wullie campaign, raising funds for the new children’s operating theatres,” he says.

“Together with a few members of NHS staff, I decided to sponsor a penguin and call it a Cancer Care Penguin, the emphasis being on the word Care and the fantastic care provided by the Maggie’s centres.

“We were looking for a penguin with a human-centred theme, linked to cancer,” he continues. “Yvonne’s personal cancer story, her journey and her artwork immediately caught our attention and hence we chose her work.”