headline: Leicester breast cancer patient's art focuses on hope
text: A woman who is among a group of artists whose work is featured in an upcoming exhibition has described how painting helped her focus on hope while she was undergoing cancer treatment.
  Laura Dampney, from Leicester, was 35 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
  Breast Cancer and Me exhibition is taking place at the Angear Visitor Centre at Lakeside Arts in University Park, Nottingham.
  It will run from 8-30 October.
  Ms Dampney said she had wanted to create memories for her children in case she did not survive. 
  "I wanted to create art for them to remember me by and to have around the house, art with a positive message," she said.
  "I have a strong faith and I wanted to create pictures that represented hope and joy and good things for them to remember as they grow older and as they inevitably face difficult times."
  39-year-old underwent a mastectomy in November 2018 and began the first of six courses of chemotherapy in January 2019 to reduce the chances of the cancer returning. 
  She said she was now looking forward to celebrating her 40th birthday, as it was a milestone she had not known if she would reach.
  She added she felt very honoured that two of her artworks would feature in the exhibition. 
  xhibition has been curated by the Breast Cancer Research Centre (NBCRC) at the University of Nottingham.
  It will feature 15 artists who will present their experiences of breast cancer through visual pieces. 
  Deputy director of NBCRC, Dr Andy Green said: "We are incredibly grateful to all the artists.
  "Incidence rates for breast cancer are expected to rise 2% in the next 12 years and there continues to be a real need to continue our research and increase awareness of breast cancer."
  Carol Pairaudeau, the administrator of the centre who curated the exhibition, said: "I am looking forward to the opening of Breast Cancer and Me and showcasing this amazing artwork to the public."
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