After being diagnosed with Hodgkins’ Disease in 1982, Robert embraced the notion that diet and lifestyle are key components of a person’s health. He ate regularly at Mrs. Murphy’s Kitchen, a health food restaurant in Halifax, located just a few blocks from the Victoria General Hospital. Mrs. Murphy was herself a cancer survivor and co-founder of Macrobiotics East. Robert joined this group and designed newsletters, cookbooks, and posters for their many events. Robert also designed a poster for a conference on the politics of food science. Trips were taken to Toronto, Boston and Miami for consultations with Wayne Diotte, Mishio Kushi and other leaders in the field of nutrition and wellness. This interest in diet, health, well-being and wholeness created a new maturity in Robert’s work. For instance, “Seal Upon Thine Heart” began as a series depicting a woman’s self-destructive love affair with a married man. By the end of the series, the emphasis is more on a dynamic harmony of opposites, mediated in natural landscapes. Robert identified with role models like Canadian athlete Terry Fox who inspired others despite his illness. In the “Illness and Healing” series, Robert communicated his own experiences as a patient, as well as sharing the stories of other patients and support groups. Robert stresses that environment is a component of health by showing patients in landscapes, in images such as The First Day, Healing and New Field. He also contrasts medical treatments with symbols of nature in Sparrow and Lifeline. Good relationships and positive attitudes also contribute to a person’s health and well-being and these relationships, shown in images of patients being supported by friends and family, as well as by nurses and other care givers, form the main focus of Robert’s series. Examples include: Visitors, Waiting Room, New Steps, Mother and Son, and The Gift.