The man who brought thousands of pictures to the hospital to give hope to cancer patients

Over the past 11 years, the project 'One Picture - Many Hopes' by teacher Ho Duong Dong has visited several hospitals, not only filling empty walls but also bringing joy and rekindling hope in patients.

Thousands of paintings and photos have been hung in many hospitals from North to South, bringing joy to patients - Photo: BUI NHI

As each painting and photo is hung up, an artistic story is told and a journey of living a kind life continues.

"Breathing" life into the hospital

In 2014, Mr. Ho Duong Dong (lecturer at the University of Science and Technology - University of Da Nang ) began his journey to accompany his relatives in cancer treatment at the Da Nang Cancer Hospital (now the Da Nang Oncology Hospital). During his days of taking care of patients here, Mr. Dong noticed that the walls at the hospital had many empty spaces, and were mostly painted white, so they looked quite desolate.

With a soul that loves photography, music and "travel", Mr. Dong came up with the idea of ​​filling these monotonous corners with photos of nature and everyday landscapes.

Mr. Dong shared that when having to stay in the hospital for a long time, many patients and their relatives miss life outside because all daily activities such as going to school, going to work, playing, entertaining... are interrupted. Everyone's spirit will be affected more or less negatively.

"At times like these, paintings and photos with large spaces such as water, mountains, hills... will bring patients and their loved ones a sense of relaxation, help heal their souls and lift their spirits," said Mr. Dong.

Then Mr. Dong began to persuade and got the hospital leaders to agree to hang paintings and photos with the hope of creating the most comfortable and positive conditions for patients during their inpatient treatment.

And the project of hanging and giving away free paintings and photos "One painting - Many hopes" was born with the aim of bringing joy to the sick.

Paintings and photos "pull" patients closer to daily life, giving them hope to live - Photo: BUI NHI

Bringing art to extend hope of life

Thanks to social networks, many authors, both amateur and professional, have known and sent their works to the project. After 11 years of implementation, the project has donated thousands of paintings and photos (mainly photos) in many hospitals such as Da Nang General Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, Khanh Hoa General Hospital...

In Ho Chi Minh City, a group of young people began hanging photos of the project at the Oncology Hospital 2 (Thu Duc City) in September 2024. To date, the photos have covered all inpatient cancer treatment areas, continuing the mission of bringing smiles and hope to patients.

Once, seeing volunteers carefully measuring and hanging pictures on patient rooms at the Department of Internal Medicine - Hematology - Lymphoma, Oncology Hospital, Branch 2 (Thu Duc City), Mr. L.D.T. (68 years old) stopped to observe for quite a while.

Impressed by the photo of nature with the caption "Hope is a small thing, but it is enough to warm the whole winter", Mr. T. immediately took a photo as a souvenir.

Uncle T. shared: "I have been treated for lymphoma for about three years now. Looking at these photos, I feel happier. The photos not only make the hospital space more intimate but also help lift the spirits of patients like me and their relatives."

Volunteer to learn gratitude

Most of the volunteers accompanying the project "A picture - Many hopes" are young people in their eighteens and twenties. Without asking for any remuneration or any certificates, they still tirelessly send their love and youthful enthusiasm to the sick.

A volunteer shared that visiting hospitals to hang pictures and sing with patients made you appreciate life more. When you see patients fighting their illnesses, some on ventilators, some crying because they were discharged after three weeks... you are even more grateful for the healthy and whole body you have.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (26 years old, living in Binh Tan district) chose to join the project because she wanted to bring joy to others, especially the sick.

Even though she has to travel a long distance every weekend to the Oncology Hospital 2 to hang paintings, for Ngan, distance is not a problem.

"This is the first time I have volunteered like this. When I give homemade gifts or hang pictures on the wall and receive smiles from the patients, I also feel happy. So I decided to stick with this meaningful work for half a year," Kim Ngan expressed.

The biggest challenge of the project is the cost of printing photos. Although it is not much, the young and enthusiastic hearts are still trying to make the most of the resources, selling handmade products, singing to raise funds... spreading joy to places where there are many sick people who need spiritual sharing.

In addition to hanging pictures and photos, volunteers of the project "One Picture - Many Hopes" also organized cultural exchanges with the theme "Singing to my patients and listening to my patients sing". They also made flowers and wrote cards to send words of love and encouragement to the patients.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-mang-hang-ngan-tranh-anh-vao-vien-thap-hy-vong-cho-benh-nhan-ung-thu-20250608233116522.htm