After cancer diagnosis, woman paints and hides rocks with upbeat messages - Action News
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British Columbia

After cancer diagnosis, woman paints and hides rocks with upbeat messages

After being diagnosed with cancer, Constance Huls began to look for something to do and came across kindness rocks, which is an art project where people paint positive and inspirational messages and pictures on rocks and hide them for others to find.

Constance Huls says the kindness rocks are meant to make people smile

The rocks bear many messages, including positive notes and pictures of animals. Some are even holiday themed. (Submitted by Constance Huls)

In 2015, after feeling a lump in her breast,Constance Huls was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I just in my heart knew," said Huls, of Blind Bay, B.C. a small community on the southwest end of Shuswap Lake.

What she didn't expect though, was to find out a few months later that she hasmetastatic breast cancer, meaning it has spread to other parts of her body.

"I was kind of lost and sort of devastated I guess at first. But, you've got to go on," said Huls.

'Im getting a really good response. Way better than I thought,' said Huls about the kindness rocks she's hidden. (Submitted by Constance Huls)

Unable to work any longer, Huls began to look for something to do and came across kindness rocks, which is an art project in which people paint positive and inspirational messages and pictures on rocks and hide them for others to find.

People can keep them, or hide them somewhere else for someone to find.

After painting a few andenjoying it, Huls started a Facebook page to encourage othersto join in and paint rocks and post pictures ofthe ones they find.

Huls started painting and hiding rocks after learning she has metastatic breast cancer. (Submitted by Constance Huls)

So far, she has painted over 500 rocks, hiding them all over the southern Interior from Sicamous to Anglemont, she toldDaybreak Kamloopshost Shelley Joyce.

"I'm looking for places where people are going to see them and where it's not going to be in someone's way, they're not going to step on them," said Huls.

"I paint anything and everything. If I think that maybe I can do it, I try it."

'I paint anything and everything. If I think that maybe I can do it, I try it,' says Huls. (Submitted by Constance Huls)

Sometimes the rocks, painted with acrylics,are themed for holidays such as Christmas, or Remembrance Day, or they have animals on them, or messages like 'Enjoy your day.'

"Whatever people would like. Whatever I think someone might find appealing [I paint]," said Huls.

Positive response

People all over the Shuswap area are now posting photos of rocks they've found. Some have even travelled with them and shared pictures from New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and Winnipeg.

"I'm getting a really good response. Way better than I thought," said Huls.

"I get lots of comments about how it's so much fun and how it's made someone's day. Maybe they found a rock that had a nice saying on it or something that they've connected with."

The intention behind the rocks is make people happy, said Huls. (Submitted by Constance Huls)

Hulsthinks some people keep the rocks without posting anything.

"Which is fine too right? Because I want them to feel good, that's sort of the whole point," she added.

It makes Huls happy to thinkmaybe these rocks will live on for many years in people's gardens or homes.

"I think that's really kind of awesome, isn't it? It's a little piece of me."

With files from Daybreak Kamloops