ESTEVAN — Judy Swallow of Alameda partook in a breast cancer promotion in an effort to help raise awareness and support the research, seeking treatment for this deadly disease.
Swallow, a visual artist known in Alameda and beyond as a creator, illustrator and teacher, knows all faces of breast cancer and cancer in general firsthand.
"We're all touched by cancer, but our family has been steamrolled with it. So I'm very aware of cancer," Swallow shared in an interview with the Mercury.
"I've had four cousins, two of which have breast cancer, and two, which are survivors, the others have passed. My brother was kidney cancer, and he had his kidney removed. My oldest brother had two-thirds of his stomach removed from cancer. My mom lived with it. And she had multiple throat cancer, [she passed away]. My husband has lymph node cancer and is in palliative care, and my sister-in-law has cancer. So I'm very, very aware of it. And if there's anything, anything at all any of us can do to help stop this disease, [I'm supportive of it]."
Not only was most of her family affected by cancer, but Swallow herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, while her husband was undergoing chemotherapy for his disease. She proceeded with treatment, and the results were positive.
"So far, knock on wood and whistle, I'm still clear," Swallow shared. "I have five years of testing. And I'm on cancer pills to prevent it. But I'm doing well."
And while today everyone has family, friends or knows of someone affected by cancer, Swallow noted she tries to keep raising awareness and support for the search for cures.
Swallow donates to breast cancer and cancer research, and when the opportunity came to get involved in a different way, she didn't hesitate to join.
"As a visual artist, I'm always looking … And I came across [the promotion] because I'm a supporter of breast cancer, cancer in general and I get notifications from them. So that's how it started," Swallow shared.
"I was working on another project, and I wasn't really going anywhere, and I thought, 'Well, I'm just going to take a break and doodle a few designs.' And then I ended up getting into it and came up with this one design. I thought, 'What the heck, I should try it out. See how that goes.' So then I entered the breast cancer promotion for a fundraiser."
The breast cancer sock design contest put up by the Breast Cancer Society of Canada earlier this year invited the creators to come up with various relevant designs. Then they were asked to rally their communities around the cause and ask people to vote for their favourite designs.
"I think part of the voting thing was just to get people aware. I contacted my friends, and my friends would contact their friends. And everybody's aware now of breast cancer promotion. And I thought, 'Oh, that's a really good way to get the word out and get people thinking about breast cancer and how we can somehow try and get rid of it,'" Swallow shared.
Swallow did really well with votes but didn't win. Nevertheless, she said she said she was happy to participate.
"I just took it up for 'oh, good, that's reached a lot of people,'" Swallow said.
The contest winner was to have their socks produced with all proceeds from sales going towards breast cancer research.
Swallow said that she might participate in future awareness campaigns too, but doesn't have any set plans yet.
She stepped away from teaching lately, and in the meantime, she is supporting her husband through his cancer battle, and also is working on her projects, including art and painting, a few children's picture book ideas and a Creative Journey book for adults.
Since 1975, when Swallow opened her studio, Swallow's Art Nest, she has been conducting Creative Journey workshops for youths and adults as well as providing seminars, retreats and in services on creativity. She incorporated music, expressive writing and visual exploration as part of the creative experience. In her workshops, Swallow posed the question What If? And through sharing her own personal creative journey, she tried to entice her participants into their own personal worlds of imagination and creative expression.
