December 20, 2000

San Diego Polymer Clay Guild artists will bring a little holiday cheer to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy by presenting each with a Bottle of Hope – small glass bottles decorated with polymer clay. (The bottles formerly held an inert non-toxic substance used to push chemotherapy through IV systems.)

The artists will then host a mini-workshop so patients can create their own Bottles of Hope.

The bottles are given to patients as a symbol of hope and with wishes for their recovery. Some patients use their bottles to hold their own prayers or wishes, or those from others; some keep the bottles as a memento of their chemo treatment.

The local artists’ guild has completed more than 100 bottles, which they will donate to UCSD Cancer Center patients at two clinic locations – La Jolla and Hillcrest. Bottles for the local project were collected and donated by the UCSD Cancer Center clinical staff. The polymer clay was donated by Polyform Products, Chicago, whose owner, Chuck Steinmann, is a cancer survivor.

To view a sample of locally created Bottles of Hope, visit: http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2000_12_20_BOH.html

The Bottles of Hope project was started in Connecticut in 1999 by Diane Gregoire, a cancer survivor and polymer clay artist. Diane found a way to use her artistic talents to cheer cancer patients going through the ordeal of chemotherapy. For more information about the national Bottles of Hope project, visit www.bottlesofhope.org .

Guild members present the Bottles of Hope to UCSD Cancer Clinic staff.	Artists visit and show the patients how the bottles are created.

Media Contact: Nancy Stringer 619-543-6163 nstringer@ucsd.edu