Symbol of hope returns to Mercy Hospital Joplin

Oct. 26—The large pink ribbon has made a return this year to the hill at Mercy Hospital Joplin.

The ribbon's creator hopes it can bring comfort to those battling breast cancer and honor the memory of those lost to the disease.

Mercy administrators came to Randy Dixon, facilities system tech lead, when their new Joplin hospital opened and asked if he could paint a ribbon on the hill facing the east on-ramp for Interstate 44. They wanted an eye-catching design to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

Dixon said they originally wanted a 10-by-10-foot ribbon, but he didn't think something that size would be seen easily. He went to his supervisor and was told to just do it his way. That's how the hospital ended up with a pink ribbon that's 90 feet by 50 feet.

"I get carried away," Dixon said.

Dixon was a painter by trade for 40 years. He still paints landscapes on canvas but has been experimenting with bigger canvases.

He used to be the head painter for the Joplin School District. When the district had a grass football field, officials came to him asking for an eagle in the middle, leaving the size up to him. Dixon wound up painting a giant eagle from 35-yard line to 35-yard line. He's also painted a large pinwheel in five colors for Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Dixon starts the ribbon project by laying out reference lines in early October. For color, he uses a spray gun with pink paint. It's a specific shade called Ice Plant, which is a vibrant color that stands out from the green grass on the hillside.

One of the challenges is that the hospital's hill is extremely steep. Dixon tries not to fall down as he's working, but he said the incline works out well because the grass canvas is closer to him. He doesn't have to bend over as much in the painting process, which takes about four hours.

Mercy tries to have the ribbon ready by the first part of October, depending on the weather. The ribbon's outline of the ribbon can be seen into January.

This year the grass has grown well on that side of the hill, making the painting easier, Dixon said. Last year, Dixon wasn't able to paint the ribbon because of the drought; there was nothing but dirt on the hill. Its presence was missed, as the hospital received a lot of calls asking about it, Dixon said.

"That thing is more popular than I ever imagined it to be," Dixon said.

Dixon has been painting the pink ribbon for most of the Octobers since the hospital's opening. He does the design himself, which has been evolving over the years.

In the third year of the ribbon, the sister-in-law of a close friend of Dixon died of breast cancer. Her story deeply affected Dixon. That year, he put a heart in the corner of the ribbon with the letter J in her honor. The next year he included her initials J.S., and then Bebe for her nickname the next year.

This year, the hospital's director of critical care, Tracey Spurgeon, is battling the same form of breast cancer that killed her mother. Dixon asked for permission to put Spurgeon's initials and those of her mother in the ribbon, and she was all for it.

These women have become family to him, Dixon said.

"It's a family thing for me," Dixon said. "I'm glad I work someplace that allows me to do it."

While he is painting the Mercy ribbon, Dixon said, it is amazing how many drivers going down the interstate honk in appreciation of the ribbon, especially this year on its return. This year, the honking was nonstop.

He estimates thousands of people see the ribbon every day. It's comforting for him to know that for women seeking treatment at the hospital, the ribbon is one of the first things they see.

"If it takes just a little of that pain away, I've accomplished everything that I could hope to accomplish," Dixon said.

Plans for the ribbon continue to evolve, Dixon said. He teases that in the coming year it will evolve a lot, although all he could say is that it's going to be bigger and better.

Painting the pink ribbon, and giving encouragement to those facing breast cancer, will be a part of his life for a long time, Dixon said. He knows that eventually he'll give the painting responsibility to some of his younger co-workers, but it will always be his heartfelt project.

"As long as I'm here, even if I'm in a walker or they have to carry me down there, I'll paint some pink on this ribbon," Dixon said.