Teen cancer survivor gets remodeled bedroom
Non-profit redecorates for ten-year cancer patient
BEAVER DAM, Wis. — There may be no room as pink as Jessica Helmbreck’s newly renovated bedroom.
Rosy walls were just the start. Helmbreck found a flat screen TV, Coach perfume, a new bed, and her favorite Shakespeare quote painted onto her wall.
It reads: “Though she may be Little, she is Fierce.”
“It feels like a dream,” Jessica said.
Jessica’s mother, Jackie Helmbreck, echoes those sentiments.
Her daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer ten years ago.
Since then, the cancer has spread to her lungs and her brain. Three years ago, doctors amputated her left leg and one of her shoulder blades.
“Better to smile than to frown and be unhappy. I just think, if we can get up in the morning and we can put our feet on the floor and get out of bed then we’re having a good day,” Jackie said.
The Minnesota-based non-profit Designing Dreams worked in Beaver Dam from Wednesday to Sunday to make the perfect getaway for the thirteen-year-old.
The group is just starting on its mission to help children suffering from serious diseases to have a place of their own.
Medical student Lauren Curwick started Designing Dreams and spent a year and a half raising money.
“Just even to see a smile on kids’ faces, it’s a great experience,” Curwick said.
“They’re really in need of a little hope and inspiration and we thought it’d be the perfect way to make their dreams kind of come true.”
For more information on Designing Dreams or to donate to the cause, visit their Facebook page.
