This story is part of the series “The Healing Soil: Detroit’s Urban Farms” and is co-published with Planet Detroit.
Heidi Penix was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 46.
The Michigan native had just moved back from Texas to start a new job after losing her job during the pandemic. But things were looking up. She also bought her first home in Detroit’s University District.
Mr. Penix was never a farmer, but he was a believer in the food sovereignty movement. Her new home came with a garden that was left in disrepair after years of being vacant, so she contacted Keep Growing Detroit, an organization dedicated to food sovereignty, to get seeds to start a garden. I bought it.
On the same day, Penix was scheduled to receive the seeds and was at the doctor’s appointment. That’s when she received her diagnosis.
Heidi Penix lives in Detroit and farms in her backyard in the University District. Penix was diagnosed with cancer shortly after moving to Michigan from Texas, and now finds solace and comfort in urban farming. Video credits: Reel Clever Films, Planet Detroit, Outlier Media
“For me, it was always, and still is, very tied to cancer,” Penix said of that kind of pickup after leaving medicine. During the drive, she remembered saying, “We have to harvest the crops!” And I said, “This is really important. We have to get it.”
Penix, now 48, had a double mastectomy and was recently diagnosed with stage IV cancer with metastatic bone disease. Although the physical battles are grueling, she remembers how gardening became a mental and emotional lifeline during the early stages of her treatment. Growing something in her backyard, no matter how small, gave Penix a sense of purpose and a reason to keep going on even the most difficult days, she said.
“When I couldn’t do anything else, I had this garden.”
Penix’s garden is a canvas of organized chaos. It started with clear sections: vegetables on one side, wildflowers on the other, and plastic fork claws sticking out to keep squirrels from walking on the plants.
Marigolds are just one of the many flowers that fill Heidi Penix’s garden. Photo credit: Cydni Eledge/Outlier Media
Over time, nature established its own way. Flowers such as zinnias and black-eyed Susans that were once intentionally planted in certain plots have begun to spread. Marigolds, cosmos and calendula are joined by goldenrod and poppies to create a vibrant yet pristine space.
But Penix didn’t always envision herself as a gardener.
“I remember putting the first seed in the ground and thinking, ‘Well, this is pointless.’ Nothing is going to happen,” Penix said with a laugh. “And I remember when the first little seedlings came up, it was like magic. I was like, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.’ ”
At first, Penix said managing the garden was difficult, especially because the treatment schedule was unpredictable. Urban gardening is more than just growing food, it also has physical benefits, especially for people recovering from chronic illnesses such as cancer. Research has shown that light physical activity, such as gardening, can help patients stay mobile and energized during recovery. A study of urban gardeners in Detroit published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that gardeners reported improved mood, reduced stress, and better management of chronic diseases. .
Fennigan’s Farms combines agriculture and design to create spaces for both fresh food and meaningful community connections.
Heidi Penix reflects on her road to recovery and the impact of community gardening
The diagnosis hit Penix hard. She had no family history of the disease. Sometimes the garden was the only activity she had energy for. Weeding, watering, or just being in the garden has become a form of therapy.
“I was sick and really depressed and things were falling apart inside me, and this garden was created,” Penix said. “This is where I wanted to spend most of my time. I keep complaining about planning a garden, getting really excited about it, and then thinking, ‘Hmm, I have to have another surgery and I’m going to plant a garden.’ I’m like, ‘I can’t use my arms right after that.’ And then everything falls apart. …And when I got really angry, it was a good outlet.”
A new perspective on food
Penix is currently studying injury and violence prevention in the Master of Public Health program at Johns Hopkins University. Although she is now knowledgeable in this area, she initially knew little about the impact that healthy foods had on overall well-being.
Her cancer journey showed her the importance of what people consume and how their environment shapes their health. Penix began focusing on addressing the root of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms with drugs.
“I learned how important green space is to every part of the human health experience,” Penix said. “I think about how important it is for people to have green space, and being connected to the earth and being able to control our food systems and being able to use land to grow healthy food is really important. I think so.”
Penix grows tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, eggplant and beans for use in his meals. (However, her husband says she can sometimes consume too much of certain produce.) Growing produce has improved our diets by increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables. Research shows that produce begins to lose nutrients as soon as it is harvested, making fresh produce the best choice.
Heidi Penix never planned to become a gardener, but now her backyard is filled with a variety of vegetables and flowers. Photo credit: Cydni Eledge/Outlier Media
Penix said urban farming has also helped her learn more about what’s in our food, such as pesticides and other substances she considers harmful, but some experts The house insists these chemicals are safe.
Kate Bauer, an associate professor of nutritional science at the University of Michigan, says pesticide residues in food are safe to eat and that pesticide-free or “organic” foods have nutritional benefits over non-organic foods. He emphasized that there is not much research. food.
“Food is pretty healthy even if it doesn’t look perfect,” Bauer said, cautioning never to eat food that is expired or looks spoiled. “It’s definitely more important to spend your money and have plenty of variety to get as much fresh produce as possible for your family to handle and eat.”
As the flowers in the garden faded with the arrival of fall, Penix said she felt both sadness and peace. Her approach to urban gardening has become a metaphor for life. It means letting things bloom, grow, and then fall when the time comes.
“It’s an ongoing process of learning what it takes to keep things alive,” Penix said, adding that the garden “is an ecosystem that I’m not in charge of.” It needs to be taken care of and kept refreshed. …It’s sad to see all the beautiful goldenrods fade.
“This is a difficult time to just let things be without actively pruning them to make them beautiful. Just let them fade. I’m trying to make it work.”
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