Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare

NAH Rocks: A rock garden to uplift patients and families

Courage painting on stone

One kind word can change someone’s whole day. That’s why a group of NAH colleagues, patients and community members organized the NAH Rock-A-Thon in March 2018 to kick off the creation of a rock garden for the Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare.

The concept is simple but powerful: A large rock pile behind the hospital contains donated river rocks for anyone to paint with a hopeful, positive word or image and leave in the garden for patients or family member who need their spirits lifted. The finder may take the rock home if he or she wishes. A white stone heart commemorates those who have survived and those who have passed on.

The rock garden continues to grow with the addition of a rock cart easily transported to any Flagstaff Medical Center department or office meeting. Soon, we will have baskets of smaller painted rocks inside the Cancer Centers as well.

If you would like to paint a rock for the Cancer Cancers of Northern Arizona rock garden, please stop by the center at 1215 N. Beaver Street in Flagstaff or contact us.


Do you have an NAH Rocks story?