voices & views: Personal Essay
The Power of Community When Francesca Olsen—a quilter and writer— faced a health crisis, her fellow North Adams artists pieced together the care and support she needed. And now she’s finding ways to pay the kindness forward. By Francesca Olsen
the oncologist? What would come first, chemo or a mastectomy? How hard can we hit it? How soon can I expect to begin treatment? Is there anything else growing inside me? Unfortunately, there was—my cancer had spread into the lymph nodes in my armpit and was on the move. I would need chemo ASAP. I also had a full mastectomy (I now have one flat side) and 33 rounds of radiation. My marathon became a slog: More than a year of treatments, recoveries, concerns, fear, worry.
In May of 2022, I learned that I had stage 2 breast cancer. I don’t remember what I said when the doctors told me besides, “I have a one-year-old.” I was also two years into building a successful and rewarding business doing marketing/branding consulting and writing for creative clients. I was studying the art of writing quilt patterns, and looking to take
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my artistic practice to the next level after receiving a grant from MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists program in 2020. I felt the energy of real potential—for my art, for my business, for the tender and wonderful time I would share with my husband and child. In an instant, my beautiful life became a desperate marathon. When could I see
Our friends in North Adams sprung into action. I’m a part of a community of artists and creative folks here— passionate, earnest people who care about building something real. My friend Jess Sweeney, the founder of Common Folk Artist Collective, hit the launch button on my GoFundMe as she went into labor. Julia Dixon, my best friend in the Berkshires and an incredible painter, drove me to countless doctors’ appointments and kept me chatting and distracted while nurses put all sorts of drugs into my veins. My friend Lizzie Whitman, whose quilting and eye for textiles I deeply admire, set up a meal train for me. People (both friends and clients!) came to me with pizza, eggs, candy,
P H OTO S : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N
“In an instant, my beautiful life became a desperate marathon.”