Putting heart into art, Local artists get creative for heart institute

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Jennifer McIntosh

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Jennifer McIntosh, Metroland

Organizer for Art for the Heart show, Sylvia Summers-Martyn, Barrhaven Legion vice-president Dave Lee and artist Sandy Woods are pictured with some of the artwork that will be on display at the show to be held at the Legion on Feb. 12. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to benefit the Ottawa Heart Institute, a cause especially close to the heart of Lee who suffered a heart attack at the Legion in November 2010.

EMC news - The Barrhaven Legion will once again be home to the Art for the Heart Show to benefit the Ottawa Heart Institute.

The show - set to take place at the Legion at 3500 Fallowfield Rd. - will be on Feb. 12 and will feature the work of a dozen artists.

One of the organizers, Sylvia Summers-Martyn, said without the help of local sponsors, they wouldn't be able to hold the event.

"It's been amazing how everything has just come together," she said.

SALES HELP INSTITUTE

Aside from the art, representatives from the Ottawa Heart Institute will be there with an information table, selling pins and accepting donations. Each artist has also agreed to donate a portion of their sales to the heart institute.

The show may be even more apt for the Barrhaven Legion, considering a defibrillator on the wall saved the life of the branch vice-president David Lee, who had a heart attack while enjoying a dinner at the Barrhaven Legion in November 2010.

Now Lee has a cardioverter defibrillator implanted in his heart. It's a small battery-powered electrical impulse generator which is implanted in patients, and he said he visits the rehab centre at the heart institute about once a month.

He was readmitted to the hospital recently after the internal defibrillator kick started his heart.

"It really feels like getting kicked in the chest," he said, adding that a scanner can be used with the machine to see what went wrong with his heart.

"It's just amazing what they can do," he said.

Lee said one of the things he likes about being a patient there is that he can talk to people with the same kind of condition.

"The support groups are specific to people with my kind of problems, rather than heart disease in general. That way I get to ask questions about how the internal defribillator works."

Sandy Woods, a local artist who works in mixed media, said that she also has spent time at the heart institute and thinks it's wonderful we have such a facility like that available so close to home.

From landscapes to needlepoint, there will be a large selection on display for art lovers. Summers-Martyn said there would also be a mix of sizes to fit every budget.

The show starts at 10 a.m. and admission and parking is free.