Mary_ciarot

Jeff Green | Dec 21, 2006

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Mary Ciarot and C.Cure.ity

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Mary Chiarot is a survivor.

The SharbotLake resident has lost several family members to cancer and was diagnosed with breast cancer herself in 1999. She is also the mother of a cancer researcher - her son Cameron is the manager of research and development operation at the Ontario Cancer Institute, the research arm of PrincessMargaretHospital.

One night a couple of years ago Cameron woke up with an idea, a quilt that would symbolize the Chiarot family’s fight against cancer, and become a symbol of hope for other families fighting the disease.

So, Mary got to work, making a quilt that incorporated the 26 ribbons denoting different types of canner into a 233 panel quilt. They named it the c.cure.ity (for cancer cure) blanket. After making the first quilt by hand, a manufacturer has made a run of 250 identical quilts which are being sold as a fundraiser by PrincessMargaretHospital. They cost $150 each, and can be purchased by phoning 1-866-937-7643 or online at http://www.pmhf.uhnstore.ca/details.php?id=43.

Mary’s ability to fight cancer has been made possible the earlier detection of her cancer.

“The secret to early detection is public awareness, annual checkups, screening and [watching for] symptoms,” says Mary “We need to find out and do more through preventive medicine against this disease.”

She hopes there are a lot of c.cure.ity quilts under Christmas trees this year. “Quilts are comforting and provide love and care in their own unique way. They can also be made to represent just about any idea imaginable,” says Mary.