WAYLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - The Room to Dream Foundation, dedicated to helping children with chronic illnesses, stepped in to give 7-year-old cancer survivor Ellie a very special surprise of a brand new personalized bedroom.
“It’s so cool because I have two ways to climb up my bed. There’s a ladder, and there’s a rock wall,” said Ellie about her room.
For the past two years, Wayland resident Ellie has undergone a treatment plan for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of blood and bone cancer and is now in remission.
Touched by her spirit, the Room to Dream Foundation decided to step in and give Ellie a brand new bedroom. The original construction was planned for 2020 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. But, Ellie, her family and community members who shared their support over the past years are happy and grateful to see the completed room as Ellie celebrates beating cancer.
The Room to Dream Foundation, based in Newton, looks to create healing environments in bedrooms for children facing chronic illnesses.
“They were away for the weekend, so what we do is we do exactly what’s on television. We put them in a hotel Friday morning. We put down the hardwood floors. We did all the painting. We have been working around the clock until today,” said one of the Room to Dream Foundation members. “Then when they come home this afternoon, and they see the rooms for the first time, there’s not a dry eye in the house.”
Ellie’s little sister Annie said she is also excited about the project as he now has a new room to play in. While her parents, Leah and Doug, are looking forward to spending more time in their daughter’s new room and her future
“I think all of us have spent quite a lot of times in our homes recently more than we ever planned to so, to have something new and exciting to come back to is this to come back to is just amazing,” said Ellie’s mom Leah. “We are really really lucky to have this for our girls.”
Ellie is in remission and practicing to join a soccer team.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)