faces
By Sarah Grace Smith
The Power of Painting Local artist turned tragedy into opportunity
P
ickerington resident Jenene Warmbier took a few art classes during her undergraduate years at the University of Toledo simply as a hobby. Little did she know, however, she would pick the brush back up as a form of therapy – for herself, for her daughter and for children in treatment for cancer all over the world. In the 1970s at the age of 2, Warmbier’s daughter Michelle was treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As a way to process this difficult time in their lives, Warmbier pulled out a pencil and a pad of paper and sketched Michelle as she underwent cancer treatment. She gave each sketch to Michelle, who colored them in with her box of crayons. If a procedure scared Michelle, she scribbled over the sketch in black. “It was as much therapeutic for her as it was for me,” Warmbier says. Warmbier believes that the sketches gave Michelle a sense of control over her medical procedures. Jenene Warmbier
In 1977, her book, Hospital Days, Treatment Ways was published by the National Cancer Institute and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her coloring book marked a new era in patient education. “Before the internet, we could learn nothing about what was going on with our children other than what As a toddler, she could voice her feelings the doctor told us,” she says, “and by the with art. time we got back to the room, we’d forgotThe sketches also proved to be in- ten everything they said.” formative for Warmbier’s 4-year-old son Scott, who was with a babysitter during most of Michelle’s procedures. The sketches helped Scott understand what his sister was going through at the hospital day in and day out. As Warmbier’s talent grew, so did her reach. She began to use pastels to draw other children in the cancer center before they lost their hair. She hoped to give the parents something to smile at during a dark time. Photos courtesy of Jenene Warmbier
Michelle’s Legacy After seeing how much the sketches helped her daughter, Warmbier decided to publish a coloring book for children with cancer. While Michelle passed away in 1976, Warmbier knew that many chilAllison Kingsley, a member of the Family as dren could still benefit from art in the way Faculty program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Michelle had during treatments. with her son Brett. 14
www.pickeringtonmagazine.com
