CORNWALL, Ontario – Emilie Bonneville is waging another battle with cancer – but this time she is bringing an army.
The Cornwall-area woman who just two years ago waged a successful fight with breast cancer was weeks ago diagnosed with affliction once again. Surgery is planned soon to remove the tumour (followed by chemotherapy treatment), and as part of a send-off her friends have organized a novel way to not only draw awareness to the disease, but offer a way to provide Bonneville with some strength.
Friends Christine Andrews and Mandy Mason corralled more than 700 pumpkins and through the help of a number of volunteers have painted them pink in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The pumpkins, which are also decorated with ribbons, are being sold and proceeds will raise funds for Bonneville’s Run for the Cure team – The Real Boobies of Cornwall.
What they thought was going to be a small gesture of solidarity with Bonneville quickly turned into a massive undertaking.
“I just love my neighbourhood,” said Bonneville, who lives in the same Sapphire Hills development as Andrews and Mason. “We were always close friends – but now we’re family.
“This has grown to be bigger than I ever thought it would be.”
No kidding. The pumpkins were all painted this weekend, and nearly all of them have been spoken for.
“We wanted to have one on each of the front steps for her when she went away for surgery,” said Andrews. “But when I made the Facebook event it just kept going ding, ding, ding. Everyone wanted one.”
Several hours of work and dozens of pumpkins later the event has taken on a life of its own.
Neighbours who passed Andrews’ home were brought to tears by the display. The pumpkins were left in the driveway to dry, turning the front of the home into a sea of pink.
“This is just amazing,” said one woman, wiping her eyes.
Pumpkins are $10 each and go on sale Monday. A limited number are left, and Andrews can be reached at christinesteve@sympatico.ca for more details.
The little pumpkins were purchased from Harvest Gardens in Cornwall. A trailer from Cornwall Siding has been donated to help transport the mountain of pumpkins and local business Table and Chair is also helping out.
The pumpkins are expected to be sold out by Wednesday – just in time for Bonneville to have her pledge money submitted for the annual Run for the Cure.
