Kaiden's Room

This past weekend we were thrilled to work with our third patient Kaiden Wagner. The goal was to bring his dream of a Mario themed room to life. Kaiden is a six, soon to be seven, year old who unfortunately is no stranger to life in the hospital. After spending some time in the PICU, Kaiden was recently transferred to 7B, where we got the chance to meet with him and do some brainstorming about his room. Don’t let his shy smile fool you; Kaiden knew exactly what he wanted his room to look like… a tribute to his love for Mario and Legos.

Kaiden’s room consisted of all things boy. We purchased him a Mario Kart comforter to accompany the Mario and Luigi “lovies” we gave him to snuggle with in his new comfy bed. Taking cues from his child life specialist, we chose multiple active toys for him, including a bowling set, golf set, and Velcro catch game, to help encourage him to continue to build strength and to spend more time playing, out of his bed. We set up a new Lego table next to his bed, along with a jumbo box of Legos, so he could engage his imagination and construct all kinds of masterpieces. We were able to supply Kaiden with his own easel to use during art therapy, which he really enjoys. It was fun to interact with Kaiden, and we had a blast completing an art project with him while we were making over his room! Kaiden chose to paint a big green “K” that he could display in his room, as a reminder of his time with The Pattyn Project. We ended our time with Kaiden on a silly note with an all out a bubble gun war; fun was had by all!  

We are grateful to Kaiden and his father Lee for allowing us to spend time getting to know him and transform his room. The smile on his face as he anxiously waved us into his room was priceless. As we began to unload our wagon of goodies, we were instantly reminded why we feel so blessed to be a part of these amazing kid’s lives! We hope this reclaimed space will give Kaiden some new found strength and help to encourage him as he continues to work towards his goals and eventual discharge from the hospital. Thank you to everyone who has shown us ongoing support, as well as new friends who have come alongside of us, as we pursue this passion. We couldn’t do it without you! We hope you all will continue to consider donating to this special cause, so we can continue to lift the spirits of young fighters like Kaiden. We ask that you all keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers during the remainder of his stay in the hospital, as we hope for persistent progress, and eventual transfer home. Thank You Kaiden!