By Rebecca Kerr 

An artist from Stirling who sketched ‘heroic’ NHS staff during her cancer battle has opened an exhibition in Dundee.

Gillian McLaren, 35, spent her time in hospital drawing the nurses, doctors and porters who cared for her, following her devastating ovarian cancer diagnosis in March 2020.

‘Portraits and Tales from a Hospital Bed’ is now open in the Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where Gillian received treatment for cancer.

Gillian had been in and out of hospital for 18 months complaining about nausea and what was then thought to be frequent urine infections.

After months of misdiagnosis, she was then told she had ovarian cancer in March 2020, just after her 33rd birthday.

This was in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and while the nation was in lockdown, Gillian was undergoing major surgery and chemotherapy.

Gillian also suffered other complications due to the cancer going undetected and spreading beyond her ovaries.

Gillian said the staff at Ninewells Hospital got her through those difficult months with “their sacrificial care, compassion and kindness” and the exhibition is dedicated to just that.

‘Portraits and Tales from a Hospital Bed’ is a collection of 22 sketches of staff members at the Ninewells Hospital, accompanied by stories and fond memories of Gillian’s.

Gillian was moved by the teamwork of the hospital staff to make sure every patient got the best level of care possible.

She said: “Like bees working together, every person does their bit, often under pressure and under great demand.

“The links fit together, so the chain works and delivers for us – their patients. Porters, scans, birth and name checks, ward bays, reports to ward nurses, emails, calls, junior doctors to consultants, consultants to patients.”

Gillian met with Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed over summer to talk about her cancer diagnosis and time in hospital.

Gillian’s story was then shared at a debate in the Scottish Parliament, hoping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms.

Evelyn Tweed MSP said: “It was an honour to meet Gillian earlier this year, she is truly an inspiring young woman who is shining a light on ovarian cancer.

“Her artwork and the stories behind them have created a snapshot in time of the incredible work of everyone in the NHS and the fundamental important of our NHS.”

Gillian’s cancer is now in remission but she plans to continue raising awareness for ovarian cancer, saying: “It’s too late to rewind what happened with my cancer diagnosis, but if raising awareness of ovarian cancer saves anyone else, it’s worth it.”

Gillian’s sketches are now a permanent part of NHS Tayside’s collection and her exhibition can be found on Level 7 Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.