Leukemia patient Christian’s room transformed into a Galaxy Far Far Away

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Seven-year-old Christian loves Star Wars and super heroes. He also loves feeling like any other normal boy- a rarity since he was diagnosed with Leukemia just before he turned 4 years old. Since then, his treatment plan included monthly procedures at the hospital and daily chemotherapy at home. He’s stayed over 50 nights at the hospital, had more than 20 lumbar punctures, multiple bone marrow biopsies, and more. He’s had to do distance learning due to his immune compromised state, and much of his life (and his parents) has revolved around this diagnosis. So, it was extremely important to the Dream Team that Christian’s bedroom reflects the things he loves most, and makes him feel like he is galaxies away from a hospital room. A Star Wars theme seemed like the perfect fit!

Elegant Interiors designer Mardel positioned Christian’s new bed in the middle of his room and centered the room’s design around an awesome (and non-cheesy!) Star Wars themed bedspread that coordinates well with his light gray walls. She then added matching brushed gray nightstands on either side, with tall mechanical-looking silver lights, and a dresser in the opposite corner (with a TV on top!) to complete the bedroom set. She also added pops of red to the room with a bean-bag chair and a desk that would be perfect for doing his schoolwork or arts and crafts. She adorned the wall above his bed with a decal that reads, “The force is strong with this one” atop a floating shelf that holds three spaceship figurines. Additional spaceship figurines have landed on each surface of his new room, and the wall facing his bed was decorated with a collection of framed Star Wars pictures.

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When Christian first entered his transformed bedroom, his mom described him as stunned. He was very excited, and kept pointing out all the changes and new things he noticed. His favorite part of his new room is undoubtedly the beanbag and TV corner (with snacks). She told us that “while he used to only use his room to sleep in, he now often says he’ll go hang out in his room and chill. Having a place that is his, that is not associated with his illness and offeres various forms of entertainment, rest and relaxation, has given him a huge boost in feeling normal (not a patient). He now is a boy with his room, not the kid who spent his days in hospital or required treatments in his old room.”

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His mom also let us know, “it is hard to express what this truly means and even harder to imagine for donors. Nevertheless, the prevailing feeling for us is to see what an impact it had on Christian in receiving a room that was truly designed for him, that offered a refuge from the daily grind of treatments, hospital stays and interventions. For months, if not years, these kids have been robbed of normal life and have had to subject themselves to so much, so their rooms offer a new safe space away from all of this.”

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