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A Spotsylvania County woman and breast cancer survivor has found a new passion, making and selling pink-and-white quilts to others diagnosed with breast cancer Date published: 8/22/2008
By KIM BAER The Secret Tears 2008 quilt that hangs in Pinkadilly Tea in Fredericksburg tells a story. Each detail in the quilt is there for a reason, said Joanne Clurman, who created the quilt. The quilt is filled with sparkles, for instance, because to her, "sparkles lift your spirits to keep you going in life." The tears become fewer and the smiles grow bigger on the little faces drawn on the quilt, she noted. "These little faces show the secrets to survival." The quilt at the Fredericksburg tea shop is the second story quilt the Spotsylvania County woman has made. The original Secret Tears quilt hangs at the Breast Center at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md. Both quilts tell a story of hope and encouragement to survive. The message is one that Clurman, a 14-year survivor of breast cancer, learned firsthand. "I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't fought back to survive." Life-changing news Clurman, 58, hadn't planned to live a happy but solitary life quilting in the Spotsylvania County woods. She spent more than 20 years as a homemaker in the Maryland suburbs. The lively woman with twinkly blue eyes and elfin features raised three children and made quilts. Then in 1993, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctor gave her a 17 percent chance of survival. Her first thought: "I'm going to die." She was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she had a double mastectomy, reconstruction and three months of chemotherapy. She said she rode a padded gray elevator to her chemotherapy appointments in the hospital's underground "concrete catacombs." The chairs were broken and there were no windows or flowers. She was given a form of chemotherapy dubbed "The Red Devil" because of its color and its effect on patients. "It brings you to your knees." The recovery from surgeries and the chemotherapy sapped her energy. As soon as she could, she began working on squares for a quilt. This quilt was unlike any she'd made before. In one square, she drew a woman in tears looking out of a window. This picture represented her. She had spent hours in her bathroom after she lost her hair to hide from the rest of the world.
Date published: 8/22/2008
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