Washington, D.C., – Decorative pillows, plush bed blankets, colorful throw covers, fun wall decals, picture frames, string lights and colorful message boards are not the typical décor you think of when you envision the hospital room of a very sick child who needs extended care away from home.
Thanks to “A Room of Your Own,” just launched by Dormify and Hope for Henry Foundation, the sickest children at MedStar Georgetown have the chance to decorate their rooms with items to bring a sense of home to ease the difficult transition from home to hospital.
One of the program’s first recipients, 12 year old Michael Rubio was thrilled to receive his new blanket, pillow, wall stickers, a Polaroid camera and a sound machine that can play a crashing ocean or a gentle falling rain.
“Thank you,” Michael said as Amanda Zuckerman, co-founder of Dormify, and Laurie Strongin, founder and CEO of Hope for Henry delivered the bags of goodies to his room at MedStar Georgetown. “This is so awesome. Everything is so cool. This feels less like a hospital room. I love it.”
“A Room of Your Own” provides kids undergoing bone marrow transplantation, cancer treatment, organ transplant and other medical interventions that require lengthy hospital stays with everything they need to create a comforting and personalized space. Décor packs are themed by a child’s age and gender.