December 20, 2000

Local Artists Reach Out to UCSD Cancer Patients with "Bottles of Hope"

San Diego Polymer Clay Guild artists will bring a little holiday cheer to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy by presenting each with a Bottle of Hope – small glass bottles decorated with polymer clay. (The bottles formerly held an inert non-toxic substance used to push chemotherapy through IV systems.)

The artists will then host a mini-workshop so patients can create their own Bottles of Hope.

The bottles are given to patients as a symbol of hope and with wishes for their recovery. Some patients use their bottles to hold their own prayers or wishes, or those from others; some keep the bottles as a memento of their chemo treatment.
 

The local artists’ guild has completed more than 100 bottles, which they will donate to UCSD Cancer Center patients at two clinic locations – La Jolla and Hillcrest. Bottles for the local project were collected and donated by the UCSD Cancer Center clinical staff. The polymer clay was donated by Polyform Products, Chicago, whose owner, Chuck Steinmann, is a cancer survivor.
 
 
 

Guild members present the Bottles of Hope to UCSD Cancer Clinic staff.	Artists visit and show the patients how the bottles are created.