Creating art was special to Helen Wormuth. She started with Prismacolor pencil drawings at around 60. Slowly, as arthritis started to take over her hands, she switched to painting with acrylics. The former dancer and nightclub owner’s life had slowed down over the last few decades, and art was therapeutic for her.
“My mom’s inspiration was always messages from God,” said Wormuth’s daughter, Dan’niel McKnight. “She is a born-again Christian and became a minister later in life. Anything God told her to paint, she did. In 2019, He told her to paint a wave and instructed her to ‘hold on tight’ because ‘something big was coming’. The COVID pandemic hit right after.”
When 77-year-old Wormuth started experiencing severe back pain in 2024, she went straight to a doctor. She was told she would need to wait for months to get an appointment to investigate the pain.
While coping with her pain, Wormuth received another message from God. He instructed her to paint the transition of winter to spring, to remind her that every season ends, and to give her hope. Wormuth created the painting, called “Hope,” on Dec. 28, 2024. It depicts a river disappearing into a wintry, tree-filled landscape, dotted with three red cardinals.
“At first, she only painted one cardinal,” said McKnight. “But she said, ‘It needs something else, one’s not enough.’ He ended up having her paint two more cardinals; they represent The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.”
In late February 2025, McKnight decided that her mother couldn’t wait to get treatment for her back pain any longer. She called an ambulance to take Wormuth to Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. At Hillcrest, she was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer that had spread to her back.
“[Her experience] was very positive. Everybody was incredible. Within two or three days, we had the answers we’d been waiting months for,” said McKnight. “She had tumors on almost every vertebra of her back. She went from being superwoman at 77 years old to being with Jesus. It’s been quite a shock.”
Wormuth was hospitalized in early March 2025 when the cancer infected her bones. It was painful for her to move, so she and her family made the decision to suspend further radiation treatment.
In mid-March, Dannette Staples, director of workforce development at Hillcrest Medical Center, visited Wormuth on the orthopedics floor while covering for another nurse manager. Staples and Wormuth instantly connected while discussing her painting.
“She asked me what I saw when I looked at this painting, and I said it made me feel hopeful,” said Staples. “She squeezed my hand and said, ‘That’s exactly what I wanted people to see. It’s called ‘Hope.’ I asked her what I could do for her, and she asked if I could make sure her painting was seen by others.”
Wormuth expressed her desire to donate “Hope” to the hospital. Staples said Wormuth had tears in her eyes when she told her that the hospital would accept the donation.
“It just goes to show you the power of rounding,” said Staples. “You never really know what impact you’re going to have on someone, it could be their last wish.”
“My mom is a fighter,” said McKnight. “She is the strongest and wisest woman I’ve ever met in my life.”
Helen Wormuth passed away on April 4, 2025.
You can see more of Wormuth’s artwork in her online gallery. “Hope” is displayed in the oncology unit at Hillcrest Medical Center, a testament to her legacy and a generous gift to the hospital that cared for her.
