Meet Max

Max is an energetic six year old with a joyous zest for life.  He likes jets, but he loves, absolutely loves the New York Yankees!   So naturally, Room for Joy turned Max's room into a New York Yankees haven that any fan would love to spend time in!  Max has undergone more than thirty surgeries, several of which were open heart surgeries in his six years, and continues to deal with a complicated medical history. 

Max's room was sponsored by the children of Central Christian Church of the East Valley.  The kids raised money for Max's room while watching a series of videos about Max and his room.  On the weekend of his room makeover, the kids sent Max Valentines and posters to let him know how much they love him.

Max loved seeing all the valentines sent to him by the kids of

Central Christian Church of the East Valley, who raised the funds for Max's room makeover.

Meet Paloma

Paloma is a very special eleven year old!  Paloma's  smile could light up the darkest room,  she is an excellent student, and is the owner of a very positive attitude.  She loves Tinker Bell, the color pink, shopping & movies, but especially Tinker Bell.  When the nurses at Phoenix Children's Hospital asked Paloma why she loves Tink so much, she said that Paloma means dove in Spanish so maybe she loves Tinker Bell because of the way she flies around the world!

In October 2006, Paloma was diagnosed with Osteo Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer.  Unfortunately, her cancer did not respond to treatment, and Paloma's right arm had to be amputated.  She recently finished her chemotherapy, and was able to return to school this fall.  To learn more about Paloma's journey, visit her site at Caring Bridge, http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/palomamarroquin

Room for Joy redecorated Paloma's room in a Tinker Bell inspired forest theme, complete with details straight out of Peter Pan! To see photos of  Paloma's room, please visit the photo album below.

Meet Cody

Cody is 13 years old, and loves frogs, toads, lizards and all things slithery!  He wants to be a herpetologist when he grows up, spending his life studying these creatures. Cody also loves dragons, and hoped that his new room would include a dragon, and be so cool that his brother-in-law would want to hang out there!  Room for Joy created a bedroom that included a dragon and a whole lot more so that Cody could feel like he was living in an ancient castle.  We predict that his brother-in-law will be spending a lot of time there!

Cody has an autoimmune disease that affects his digestive tract and lungs.  He spent over 100 days in the hospital last year, with much of that time in intensive care. Because of his health, Cody is homeschooled, and has a classroom at home set up for his studies. Cody is an excellent student, and is interested in a lot of things, but his favorite subjects are Science and History.  He especially enjoys studying ancient Egypt, focusing on King Tutankhaman.  After meeting Cody for the first time, Room for Joy decided to surprise Cody and his parents by making over his classroom, too!

Check out photos of Cody's rooms and the volunteers behind them in the three photo albums below!

Deja  was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor in September of 2006.  You can visit her website www.2deja.com to learn more of her story.  See pictures of Deja's Cinderella room and Olivia's Minnie Mouse room and the volunteers who made it happen in the albums below. 

Elisabeth & Caroline

Elisabeth and Caroline are seven-year old identical twins who love arts and crafts, jump rope and books.  It is almost impossible to tell the girls apart, but there is one difference between the girls you can't see.  Elisabeth was born with a serious heart defect and has had several operations as a result.  Because her condition makes playing outside difficult when the weather is hot, the Room for Joy volunteers transformed the family's garage into a fairyland playroom for both girls.

            ANDREA'S ROOM

Room for Joy transformed an ordinary bedroom into a whimsical fairyland complete with custom furniture and canopy bed in December, 2005.   Andrea* loves fairies, butterflies and purple.  When we first spoke to her about what she likes, she mentioned that she had been wanting something in a purple leopard print.  After selecting the bedding set for her room makeover, we noticed the bedskirt....purple leopard print!  Andrea loves to draw and one of her sketches has been published.  Andrea is 14 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis.   She lives with her foster family in Phoenix, Arizona.  When Andrea saw her room for the first time, she let out a scream and said "Oh!  It's my room, how did you know?!" 

Thank you to her and her family for letting us be a part of their lives!  It was our pleasure to create a new room for her and to furnish it with a desk to help her pursue her artistic dreams.   

Check out the photo albums below for more pictures of Andrea's room.  

*Andrea passed away in May, 2006 after a difficult battle with Cystic Fibrosis.  Her foster mom said that Andrea invited every visitor to their home to see her new room....that it was always her new room.  She said that Andrea had friends over for slumber parties and lots of visits, and that her room brought Andrea great joy.  Thank  you to everyone who helped make Andrea's room makeover possible.