Hundreds of volunteers gathered at the Daffodil Garden for Cancer Survivors planting 13,000 bulbs, each representing someone who has been touched by cancer.
The daffodil is resilient - it is the first flower to bloom in the spring. Since the 1950s, the daffodil has served to inspire strength, courage and hope, as well as spread awareness about cancer in Canada.
The daffodil garden opened last September as the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada. It was created by Judy and Jim Edgar, two cancer survivors, to show people that a cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence. It aims to be a place that meets people wherever they are in their journey.
"It can be anything you want it to be, you know, be reflective, to be joyful, to be happy. You know, we want this garden to be for everybody," Judy Edgar shares.
The project took about two and a half years of work and $73,000 to make this dream a reality. It was supported by the government and funding was provided from the provincial department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, municipal district capital funds and CN Rail. The Edgar’s also held fundraisers and received support from the community.
The garden grows each year as more daffodils are planted by volunteers. Volunteers that stopped by, honoured their friends and family and/or participated to represent their own journey.
"We've always defined cancer survivors as not only the people that have had cancer and beat death, but also their family, their friends, co-workers, their medical team," says Jim Edgar. "They've all walked that journey with them."
Interested in learning how to plant your own daffodils? Click here.