Meet Meda, Evergreen’s Balloon Artist

If you attended the Sammamish Farmer’s Market or the Kirkland Wednesday Market this summer, chances are you may have noticed the long lines in front of the Evergreen Healthcare booth.

What was attracting these crowds?

It was Meda, the balloon artist...who is actually Meda Duggan, a health unit coordinator in Critical Care at Evergreen Hospital.

When her children were little, Meda wanted to give them special valentines, so she bought an instruction book and taught herself to make balloon animals.

More than 20 years later, she’s still delighting kids with her creations.

Standing in the Evergreen booth, she drew crowds of kids both large and small who wanted one of her balloon creations.  She delighted them – and their parents – with hats, flowers, sabres, octopus and her most detailed creation, a hat featuring monkeys in a palm tree.

For Meda, it’s a labor of love. She doesn’t create her balloon art for money; in fact, her balloon creations are free...and so is her time.

“I donate my time,” she says. “My balloon business will never be a business, because money’s nice, but there’s a whole lot more out there that’s better than money. My balloons are my way of giving back.”

Meda’s husband, Denver, was treated for cancer at Evergreen, and she’s never forgotten the excellent care he received or the kindness of her co-workers. When Denver died, she vowed to pay back the kindness – every chance she got.

For the last three years, Meda has created the centerpieces for Evergreen’s Seasons of Hope luncheon; in addition, she regularly visits nursing homes and she’s always available for a farmer’s market.

As to the pleasure people get from her creations, she’s glad of it, but says, “I think I get more joy than they do.”

Volunteer at Evergreen

If you have a skill or time to donate, consider joining the Volunteers at Evergreen. We offer lots of different options for potential volunteers.