Cancer Survivors Garden

My husband and I literally stumbled into the Chicago Cancer Survivors Park, ironically on a trip back to Chicago where we had lived for ten years. The second part to this discovery and probably the more poignant emotion is that he had just completed surgery for a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer.
The Cancer Survivors Parks are a daily reminder to all who pass by that the park and message are meant to support your subconscious mind that death and cancer are not synonymous. The message and the space are meant to give hope and courage. To those in the process of fighting the disease, it is meant to give directions and determination. To those who have not had cancer, it is meant to reduce fear.
At last count there are now twenty-​four Cancer Survivors Parks throughout the USA and Canada. The R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation (Richard Bloch, co-​founder and honorary chairman of the board of H & R Block, Inc.) provided money for the construction of the Parks including funding perpetual maintenance. Each Park is individually designed to complement the surrounding area.
Each park has three elements … the first element is to promote a positive mental attitude, the second is to show the cancer journey with a successful outcome, and the third «Road to Recovery» consists of seven plaques explaining what cancer is and basic actions to successfully overcome the disease.
Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Parks have been completed in Bakersfield, CA; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Memphis, TN; Minneapolis, MN; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; New Orleans, LA; Omaha, NE; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Phoenix, AZ; Rancho Mirage, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA, Santa Rosa, CA; Tucson, AZ, and Tampa, FL.

The park has been allowed to deteriorate under the leadership of the Chicago Park District. The meditative qualities of the cancer survivor park are totally gone. The load blaring music from the nearby skating loop have taken away all reflective qualities of this park.
Because this meditative park is now surrounded by a children’s park, this part of the park no longer works as originally intended. If you want to contemplate the miracle of beating cancer in a quite contemplative atmosphere, try sitting in a chair in the middle of the Jane Byrne Circle, it’ll be more peaceful.

I love this place. Its nice and quiet and quite tranquil. It is not kept up but I like the way the way the garden is untamed. I come here for a quiet lunch away from all the annoying tourists in millennium park. Not sure what is going to happen to it after maggie daley park opens back up next door. Consider this one a relaxing hidden oasis if calm.

After pushing my fiancé out the door on January 3^rd, the coldest day of the year, I crossed my fingers and hoped we would be able to reserve the Cancer Survivor’s Garden for our wedding this Memorial Day. Little did we know that the first business day of the year, when the Chicago Park District begins accepting applications for permits, is traditionally when HUGE events like Lollapalooza, the Chicago Marathon and every other street fest and road race out there comes to get their permit. Not our little wedding. Regardless we got it!
The garden itself is a long stretch of grass marked on the North and South ends by metal atriums and recycled cement columns. Along either sides of the grass is a series of large vessels holding flowers cascading out of the pot and benches positioned under the shade of the trees. Leading to each atrium is a series of steps. The Northern set is particularly beautiful with flowers and plants abound. There are even large planters on Randolph to denote the garden to guests. In my mind the perfect setting for a wedding. I loved it!
The pros of using this space are:
–showcasing a little known garden to guests
–the amazing view of the field museum to the South
–the amazing view of the city skyline over the trees
–gorgeous and unusual space to be married in
–perfect walkway to walk up from the South to the North end
The cons of renting this space are:
–having to use the CPD’s preferred vendors with $ 600 delivery fees for a $ 200 chair order
–the steep walk up Randolph. we used a trolley to bring guests up
–as an older garden funding for the flowers here has waned. we talked about flower bombing and green spray paint on the grass. there was even an article in the Tribune about how private funding for this garden was done and there was no money left this year. after frantic phone calls to CDP we were reassured there would be flowers. And there were! but the atriums could use a coat of paint and the grass is mainly clovers and yes, I fell into the divot in the grass as I neared my groom. But nothing is perfect so embrace it.
In the end would I want to get married there? YES!!! It is such a memorable space that just screamed perfect for weddings. Having lost my father to cancer when I was in high school this was the perfect place for us because I knew he was with me every step of the way!

A lovely refuge on the other side of the funny bridge from Centenial park. It sits along side Lake Shore Drive so the serenity is lacking a bit, but overall, it’s a very picturesque area to sit and relax for a while. Lovely flowers and some nice areas for pictures. Overall, a good place to enjoy a stroll on one of the 8 non-​consecutive nice days a year in Chicago.