CRANBERRY TWP — Five-year breast cancer survivor Vicki Holzer has created a unique display in her backyard, and she wants the public to show its “support.”

Holzer, a longtime artist, placed an artificial pine tree decorated with pink ornaments and ribbon along Rowan Road where passers-by could see it. The display is Holzer’s way of celebrating her five-year cancer survival anniversary and in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

But it is one type of ornament on the tree that has people hooked.

Holzer, whose treatment for invasive ductile carcinoma included a double mastectomy, placed her lone remaining bra on the tree. She also accepted four bras from friends and family and placed them on the tree.

“I don’t know how I even got the idea,” Holzer said. “I wanted to celebrate my five-year anniversary, and it just popped into my head. I’m a crazy artist.”

A small homemade placard on the tree says “In celebration of five years. Vicki Holzer.”

But before she knew it, strangers began leaving bras on or near the tree. Many contained tributes in honor or in memory of a woman with breast cancer.

So a delighted Holzer strung a jute line between the trees on both sides of the decorated pine and clipped more than 100 clothespins onto it.

As of Wednesday, 43 bras of all colors, styles and sizes hung from the line, and 13 from the decorated tree.

“There’s huge ones, old lady ones, colorful ones,” a beaming Holzer said as she gazed at the display. “People are hanging bras in support of the display or in memory or honor of someone. It’s amazing.”

She said traffic on Rowan Road frequently slows to a crawl, and many people honk their horns at the display. Others stop to contribute a bra or pose for a picture with the display.

“It was made for people to stop by and show their support,” Holzer said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

While Holzer appreciates every bra hung on the display, she requests that people refrain from knocking on her door.

Holzer said she has gotten two complaints about the display. One was from a man who said it is inappropriate for his 9-year-old son.

“He’s nine. Hasn’t he ever gone to Wal-Mart and seen bras? Or seen a bra commercial on TV? It’s ridiculous,” she said.

All are encouraged to stop and hang a bra at the display as Holzer will string more line and add more clothes pins as needed. The display will come down at the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Oct. 31.

“Every woman has that bra in the back of their drawer that they bought because it was cute, and then they wore it for 10 minutes and found out it’s uncomfortable,” Holzer said. “It’s the back-drawer bras I want.”

Bras with handwritten inscriptions like “In memory of Bonnie Patterson” or “In honor of Cindy Matter” hang alongside multicolored and lacy donations.

Her husband of 18 years, Christopher “Cricker” Kirby, stuck by Holzer’s side as she underwent her surgery and lost her hair from eight chemotherapy treatments.

“She’s a tough cookie,” Kirby said.

He explained that Holzer loves fairies, and he is often referred to as the boy who never grew up. So for his wife’s first chemo treatment, he posted Tinkerbell on social media after the character had taken poison to save Peter Pan’s life.

In most productions of the musical “Peter Pan,” children are asked to clap loudly and energetically to save Tinkerbell.

“We were sitting there while she was getting the chemo, and my phone started blowing up,” Kirby said. “It was the comments on my post, and all the comments were ‘clap clap clap clap clap’.”

Kirby said the situation gave Holzer the energy boost she needed to complete the grueling treatment.

“The magic of clapping to save the fairy fit very nicely,” Kirby said.

A tattoo on Holzer’s left upper arm has Tinkerbell sitting on a toadstool. A heart encloses the “Peter + Tink” carving on the toadstool’s stump, symbolizing the couple’s commitment through thick and thin.

Holzer also has a large tattoo covering her back that features an elaborate fairy scene. The Hans Christian Andersen quote “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale” is below the artwork.

When Kirby first heard of the bra display idea, he could not have known what it would grow into.

“I thought she was crazy,” he said. “Then I heard people honking and saw them hanging up bras while I was cutting the grass.”

After a few days, the display became a poignant reminder of cancer’s potentially devastating effects.

“When I really started taking this seriously is when I saw the first bra in memory of someone,” Kirby said.

The couple’s neighbor, Sharon Hillebrecht, donated the old Christmas tree for the display as well as three bras.

“Everyone in the neighborhood is saying she’s so creative,” Hillebrecht said. “They say, ‘How did she think of that?’”

Hillebrecht summed up the feelings of all who have marveled at Holzer’s positive attitude as she faced breast cancer.

“I told her she’s braver than I ever could be.”

Holzer said the display is a one-time event and will not become an annual occurrence.