Iowa nurse uses art to bring joy to kids battling cancer

We found one. Ok. Do you see more hidden in the hallways of blank children’s hospital? They back it. There is another one. Princesses perched just high enough for tiny hands to grab the scavenger hunt. Helps this Disney loving three year old get through long days. We come every week for chemo back in February, Maddie. Sivert parents noticed her stomach pain was not going away. Cancer is the last word. Any mom or dad wants to hear acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Three words that change their three year old daughter’s life, right? When she sees the the needle, it’s, you know, we have to hold her down. Um And that’s very traumatizing for everybody involved. Maddie’s treatment will last 2.5 years and then we move to maintenance and it’s like once *** month. Um Chemo is taking her hair but not her curiosity interrupting mom and dad like *** typical toddler. Maddie is ready to be on the move. So she pulls on her pink slippers pedal, remember and pedals doing laps around the fourth floor, smiling at doctors and nurses. Maddie always makes it back to the finish line or what the soul man we love the still man. Don’t pull it down. Olaf, the snowman showed up on her door as *** surprise. One day. Her smile was so big and she’s like mom, dad, it’s Olaf. And then every time we left our room and came back to our room, she loved to look at it. And now his big toothy grin has been greeting Maddie ever since she loves Frozen. She loves Elsa and Anna just down the hall from Olaf Mario is smashing his way through chemo. It was like the first day here we came back to the room and there was that sign another surprise this time for Max Evans. The punch, punch it, punch leukemia. Max had leukemia as *** baby and now at age 15, he’s fighting it again. There’s always that fear in the back of your head if treatment quits working, living in the hospital is tough on *** teen. His body gets worn down more and he’s getting sicker with each round. So it’s hard. But playing Mario Kart helps pass the time and the last time we stayed up *** little too late on accident. Nurse Ally Stutzman is always up for the challenge. Max who win my Yeah, it’s always Max right away. Ali noticed Max’s love for Mario. She had spent her off time drawing this huge Mario poster that’s in the window waving at him too. So she goes above and beyond. Ali never considered herself to be an artist. I feel like *** lot of people probably don’t know, they can draw like *** 3 ft Mario until they specifically are asked to. But I definitely did not. But now she’s *** pro, I would say probably 2 to 4 hours each poster. She gets to know each child on the fourth floor characters or TV, shows or sports out there are really interested in her favorite things and then spends her breaks creating colorful messages of hope. Sometimes I’ll do it just *** little bit. I might stay after *** shift just to finish up one if I was really close so that they get to wake up to it from Barbie to Darth Vader. Each door poster tells *** story. We have one who every time he gets admitted he goes, where’s my bluey? Like as soon as he gets up here of *** child behind it, fighting the battle of their life, even though it is not fun for them to come to the hospital. But they’re excited for maybe *** little something like *** little piece just seeing his bluey or singing Mario is really exciting for them to have something to look forward to Ally’s creations. Go beyond posters. She spent hours making him *** birthday card on her time off that everybody signed. Max loves her because he can be laying in bed miserable and Ally walks in the room and he’ll smile for Ally. Those smiles are just as big down the hall. Oh my God. I can hear him. I think your belly likes the chips. We Olaf the snowman loops. Just the poster itself just made her this room feel like not just four walls. It just made her feel more comfortable and ***, *** safe space for her to play *** safe space made possible by *** simple stroke of color. And I feel like I’ve found something that makes me equally, probably even happier than it makes the kids and *** nurse who cares deeply. We’re best buddies. Right. Bud. We say bfs for life about being *** master of her craft, seeing the reactions of the kids and how much they enjoy it. And honestly, it’s probably one of my favorite parts of the job.