The now-38-year-old Los-Angeles based designer was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and endured nine-months of chemotherapy and radiation before she went into remission.
But for Emily, one of the most difficult aspects of her illness wasn’t the aggressive treatments and the harsh side effects, rather the way her loved ones treated her after being diagnosed with the deadly disease.
Emily is known for her fresh and empathetic cards.
“The most difficult part of my illness wasn’t losing my hair, or being erroneously called ‘sir’ by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo,” she explained on her website.
“It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn’t know what to say, or said the absolute wrong thing without realising it.”
She’s not afraid to be blunt and cheeky in her beautifully designed creations.
Despite being cancer free, the emotionally draining experience stayed with the designer, inspiring her to somehow help others who’d been through the same battle.
The creative pro decided to invent a range of empathy cards with a difference – expressing the funny, frank and fearless things she so longed to hear when she was ill.
Emily hopes the card create a “better, more authentic ways to communicate about sickness and suffering” between patients, friends and loved ones suffering from cancer, chronic illness, mental illness, or other hardships, all the while putting a smile on your face.
“Get well soon cards don’t make sense when someone might not,” Emily explained.
As Emily has battled and defeated cancer, her creations ring true for so many.
“Sympathy cards can make people feel like you think they’re already dead. A ‘f*** cancer’ card is a nice sentiment, but when I had cancer, it never really made me feel better.”
“And I never personally connected with jokes about being bald or getting a free boob job, which is what most ‘cancer cards’ focus on.”
We think Emily is right on the money with these cards – and we just love them!
To see more of Emily’s witty and intelligent creations visit her website here
Poignant and powerful – we HIGHLY recommend visiting the talented designer’s website: emilymcdowell.com
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