A garden in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, which was created to give hope to cancer survivors, has been vandalized in what has been described as a “senseless” act. The Daffodil Garden for Cancer Survivors was created by Jim and Judie Edgar, both cancer survivors, who planted 6,600 daffodils in the fall of 2020. The garden took more than two years and $73,000 to build, with the Edgars raising money online and receiving grants from CN Rail, the provincial government and 11 city councillors.
Since the vandalism, there has been an outpouring of support from politicians, community members and cancer survivors. Jim Edgar says that cancer actually connects people, and that the stories they hear about people’s journeys and what they have gone through are very heartwarming. The garden has been the result of the hard work of hundreds of volunteers who have helped plant 30,000 daffodil bulbs since its creation.
The flowers that were destroyed will bloom this year, but the Edgars have more plantings planned in the coming weeks. Despite the setback, they remain determined to continue with their work, which provides hope and encouragement to those living with cancer.