By Sean Sullivan

“To be an artist is to believe in life,” said famous sculptor Henry Moore.

Natick’s 7-year-old Emelie Brosnihan already counted crafts and creativity among her favored hobbies. And when her family received a most-unwelcome diagnosis a few years ago, she would put her art to use in coping with the hard months ahead.  

In the summer of 2022, Emelie experienced stomach pain and a bump was discovered on her right side. Tests revealed a form of kidney cancer, and she soon began treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, including chemotherapy.

Dana Farber staff discovered that year during Emelie’s regular visits that she was adept and interested in arts and crafts. The facility provides such resources for children undergoing treatments - welcome diversions from the serious work of doctors and clinicians.

“Dana Farber is an incredible place,” said Kate Brosnihan, mom to Emelie. 

It was then suggested that Emelie submit some drawings of her own for a local fundraising drive. The chosen artworkwould be featured on reusable bags sold at Homegoods stores and proceeds from their sale would go toward helping families with children coping with cancer and other ailments. The drive was organized in partnership with the Jimmy Fund.

“I drew a panda eating watermelon and a fish,” said Emelie. On one bag, a roly-poly panda bear is pictured munching on a juicy slice of summer fruit. On another, a colorful fish swims in a sea of blue. Panda bears and watermelon are a few of Emelie’s favorite things, she said.

She drew a half-dozen designs for the contest, all adhering to a prescribed theme. Young artists were encouraged to create works that spoke to summer. Among Emelie’s offerings were a popsicle and hibiscus flower.

She worked on her designs last summer, and her winning drawings were featured on limited-edition reusable shopping bags in June of this year, just in time for the sweltering vacation season. In between last summer and this one, Emelie attended first grade full time during fall, winter and spring.

Emelie’s prognosis is promising, her monthly visits to Dana Farber now a thing of the past. Those checkups had evolved over the months to quarterly visits, and have recently become even less frequent. It’s a sign that treatments have been effective, that life is slowly returning to normal.

Emelie has travelled so far this summer to a vacation on Cape Cod, and a trip to visit family in California. Soon, she’ll attend the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” a residential summer getaway geared toward children coping with chronic illness. The camp was founded in 1988 by legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman.   

“So, she’s doing really well,” said Kate