02 Sep 2021 Art journaling gives voice to end-of-life experience

By Susan L. Peterson

In 2004, Jennifer O’Brien impetuously enrolled in an art journaling workshop.

Little did she know then that keeping an art journal would help her through her time as caregiver for her husband and aid her in understanding her grief. She didn’t know others would be interested in her very personal journey or that what she compiled for her personal benefit would one day be published and win awards. She certainly didn’t anticipate that the pages in her journal had the power to help others in similar situations realize that the end-of-life journey is not only hard work and heartbreaking, but beautiful and rewarding.

In 2015, when her husband, Dr. Bob Lehmberg, received a diagnosis of stage IV metastatic cancer, the couple felt uniquely suited to take on the job of Bob’s palliative care, with Jennifer being his primary caregiver.

Jennifer was familiar with the medical field, having worked 30+ years as a physician consultant and administrator at three medical centers. She also helped close family members at the end of their lives.

Working as a physician for 40+ years, Bob spent the last decade of his practice working with seriously ill and palliative care patients at the University of Arkansas fpr Medical Sciences. He loved what he did and continued working another 16 months even after his diagnosis.

As a palliative care physician, Bob coined the term “precious time” to describe to families the point at which death is within sight, whether days, weeks, or months. It’s a time that calls for special preparations, kindness, and patience in order for survivors to have peaceful, comforting memories and not have regrets later about what was said or done.

“The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal” (Et Alia Press, 2020) documents Jennifer’s innermost thoughts and feelings during their “precious time” (22 months) and throughout her grieving process. Her artwork provides a graphic representation of the words overlayed on them. The book is a unique compilation of email communications, notes, and honest personal reflections. It is tender, funny at times, and heartwarming. There is a to-do list and another titled “wish we had done … ”

Mostly, the book is a love story, told through visual art, poetic text, and a bit of “slap-in-the-face” reality.

Jennifer never intended for her journal to be published. But when the wife of a friend received a rare cancer diagnosis, she showed the couple some of her loose pages. They found her words and wisdom both reassuring and comforting, from the perspectives of both caregiver and patient. She got similar feedback from Bob’s former colleagues who worked in palliative care. Encouraged by the positive response, she knew she should release her private journal into the public realm.

Published in February of 2020, the book’s first award was a silver Nautilus Award in the category Death and Dying/Grief/Loss. It won first place in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the category of Relationships, and it won a bronze award in the Independent Publisher Book Awards for its Gift/Special/Journal category. Jennifer is amazed by the range of categories her book can be slotted into.

Jennifer is now on a mission. “Death is our one constant. It’s something that will happen to everyone, but we don’t talk about it,” she says.

She hopes her book will help families have open, honest discussions about end-of-life issues. It can also assist caregivers and those who want to support them. She is an ardent advocate for caregivers. “They are the ubiquitous, unsung heroes of our time.”

Jennifer resides in Little Rock in the downtown condominium she and Bob downsized to after his diagnosis. There, surrounded by art the two collected and created, she continues making art and working as a proponent of end-of-life issues. She especially enjoys speaking to medical groups and caregivers.

To find out more about Jennifer, order art prints, or get caregiver resources, visit her website, hospicedrswidow.com. Her book may be ordered from Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, and Et Alia Press (EtAliaPress.com), which will provide a 20% discount and free shipping through the month of September by using the code HDW20.