ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When going through something life-changing, support from those around you can be life-saving. For a woman who was diagnosed with cancer, that support is what helped her cope.

Nancy Jaquish started a quilt five years ago to help get her through her cancer treatment. Now it hangs in the halls where she got her treatment as an inspiration to others.

“I had a life before and life after. And it is totally different. My life is totally different from before cancer,” Jaquish said.

Stage four colorectal cancer are the words Nancy heard doctors tell her. Her sisters searched for the best care around; that’s when they found Strong Memorial Hospital. While going through chemo and radiation, a lot of things went through her mind. She has four kids and a lot to lose.

“I wanted to be here to continue being their mom. You know, they need it. They need mom,” Jaquish said.

Jaquish says she needed to get through it. “I said, how can I do this? And I love to quilt. My mom taught me how to quilt years ago,” she said. “So I was, I was laying there, you know, in the machine. I was thinking of my kids and I was thinking of, you know, how I can go about making this quilt. So I had something to to focus on.”

Pieces of herself and her cancer journey are hand-stitched and bound onto squares of patterned fabric. Her daughter traced an outline of her body. Then they added all of her scars from the surgeries.

“It has my parents, my friends. It has different things that some of my clients have given me,” Jaquish said. “All the doctors that were part of my team.”

Dr. Wang was one of those doctors. She believes projects and distractions like this have a positive impact on people receiving treatment.

“I think a lot of our patients, you know, they some have great support systems, some don’t. Some have things that they can focus on, like their family, their kids, a project and others who don’t. And I do see a tremendous difference,” Dr. Wang said.

Antonina Tortorello, News10NBC: “So this was something that gave hope to you?”

Nancy Jaquish: “It gave it, helped heal me, and I hope it heals so many other people.”

It was a few years of working with the hospital to get the quilt displayed, but what started out as a distraction and keepsake for Nancy now serves another purpose.

“It wasn’t meant for me. I mean, it healed me in so many ways, but it’s meant to heal so many other people,” Jaquish said. “They’re not in this alone. And it’s so many people are here to help them, to love them, to support them, to guide them. And I hope they feel all of that when they see this quilt.”

Jaquish is now cancer-free, and her son just had her first grandchild. She tells News10NBC she’s excited to keep spending time with her family and thanks all of the doctors who helped her along her journey.

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