Lisa’s Story: Making Art and Peace at OLP
Lisa Kirkbride never planned to become an artist. She picked up a paintbrush during the COVID-19 pandemic, looking for a creative outlet — and found something closer to joy. Adult diffuse midline glioma is a rare and aggressive brain cancer with limited treatment options and an average life expectancy of one to two years. That is the diagnosis Lisa lives with today — four years in, in what she calls her “bonus time.” Inspired by her travels, she began creating striking contemporary pieces. Look closely, and you’ll find a deeply personal story woven right into the canvas.
Lisa’s Care at Our Lady of Peace St. Paul Hospice
Our Lady of Peace is a St. Paul hospice serving Twin Cities families with both in-home and residential care. For Lisa, it became the place where she could keep doing the thing she loves most: making art that means something.
The welcome mat at Lisa’s home reads Good Vibes Only — and she and her family truly mean it, even in the face of an incredibly difficult diagnosis. Twenty-three years ago, Lisa beat breast cancer and turned her focus entirely to raising her two children with her husband, Dave. They’ve been married 32 years.
Rather than dwell on her own prognosis, Lisa keeps her heart with the youngest patients — the children who face this rare diagnosis before ever getting to experience all the joys life has to offer. For Lisa, this chapter is about making a difference.
“Never in my life did I think my art would be doing something like this.” — Lisa Kirkbride
A Rare Brain Cancer Diagnosis and a Family’s Choice
When Lisa and Dave began thinking about hospice care, their decision came from a place of love, not fear. Dave lives with COPD, and Lisa knew she didn’t want him carrying the weight of personal caregiving alone.
“So, as that time approached, we started to do our research,” Lisa shares. “We wanted a place where I could truly live. Both our physician and our church, Our Lady of Grace in Burnsville, told us about Our Lady of Peace Hospice & Home Health Care.”
That search for the right fit is one many Twin Cities families face. Understanding your hospice care options early — before a crisis forces a rushed choice — gives families room to choose what feels right. The family began with home hospice care for a few weeks, then transitioned to the inpatient residence.
How Residential Hospice Gave Lisa’s Family Room to Simply Be Together
Most hospice providers in the Twin Cities offer in-home care only. OLP’s 21-room residential hospice is a rare option — a real home where families can step out of the caregiving role and back into being family.
For Lisa, that distinction changed everything.
“It has been amazing,” Lisa says. “It has given me total peace of mind knowing that Dave and the kids can just be my family, rather than my caretakers. The team and the volunteers here are incredible.”
With the logistics of care handled, Lisa’s family found room to simply be together. And Lisa found room to keep painting.
Continuing Lisa’s Artistic Advocacy
A central image in Lisa’s work is the lotus flower — a symbol of the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of darkness, and radiate beauty into the world.
In a powerful act of reclamation, Lisa embeds pieces of her cancer radiation mask directly into her paintings. It’s the same mask she wore daily for six weeks during radiation treatment. Today, she uses it to add unique texture to her canvases — transforming a symbol of medical hardship into a tool for storytelling and awareness.
Lisa now partners with local advocacy partners like Love From Minnesota and The Cure Starts Now to use her art to educate the world about rare diagnoses that are too often overlooked and underfunded. Love From Minnesota donates 15% of Art For Good proceeds to The Cure Starts Now, supporting vital cancer research. Freed from the daily demands of caregiving, her family gets to witness this mission unfold — and be part of it.
Share Lisa’s Story
Lisa’s story is one of many at OLP. Families like Jack Whitehurst’s have also found peace at OLP and paid it forward, choosing to give back so others can experience the same care.
If Lisa’s journey moved you, here’s how you can help. Learn how OLP’s care let one family focus on love, not logistics — call 651-789-5031 to talk with our team, share Lisa’s story with someone who needs to hear it, or support our mission with a gift.
We are here when you need us most, wherever you call home.
