Patch Adams had his red clown nose but we have Ellie and her mustaches!! Sweet and silly Elizabeth “Ellie” loves mustaches. You would think this would be an unusual request from a darling 11 year old girl who has been in the hospital for a very long time. Well I think Ellie is the smart one. Have you ever tried to wear a stick on mustache and then tried to be serious or stern or even mad? Impossible, I tell you. I think Ellie has found a fun way for those in the hospital to interact and be silly with her while setting aside all the trials and tribulations she is going through and seeing the real 11 year old not her ailments. Brilliant, I say. 

Many people ask about the inspiration behind the logo of Once Upon a Room. It is one of my favorite stories to tell because every time I share it I get to remember myself that special day with a very heroic patient….

The Once Upon a Room volunteers and I were headed to the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit to decorate a room for a little girl who was turning 6 years old that day. The BMT unit’s protocol is handled slightly differently than the other units. It requires more attention to materials and items that go into the room because of the lack of immune system the patients have. As we arrived on the unit, sanitized all the items we were bringing in and were beginning the process of scrubbing down, I looked to the last room. Peeking through the glass was this inquisitive, bald, wide eye little girl.