When an overjoyed eight-year-old takes control of a small roomful of adults and teenagers with a boisterous voice saying something is awesome, it’s hard not to take notice.
But in fairness, when Brady Zeller’s bedroom got transformed into one of the coolest rooms in the neighborhood in less than 48 hours, everything was, in fact, awesome for the Cos Cob School third grader.
With a little help from some new friends at Art from the Heart, a special child fighting pediatric cancer now has quite a special new room.
“It was awesome and one of the coolest things ever,” Brady Zeller said. “I love the lava lamp, the Coca-Cola bottles and the blankets and pillows. Those pillows are so soft. I can’t wait to sleep in them tonight. I can’t choose. Everything was my favorite.”
After two months of planning and getting an idea of exactly how the room should look, Art from the Heart director Karen Morgenbesser and her volunteers transformed the room into something extraordinary.
“The room was livable 48 hours ago and now its phenomenal,” said Colleen Zeller, Brady’s mother. “It’s mind-blowing how much the kids came together and how much work they did in the final 24 hours. And the preparation that Karen did beforehand was amazing. This is something that couldn’t be done in 24 or 48 hours without a lot of preparation.”
Starting bright and early Saturday morning, the Zeller household went from two adults, three children and two dogs to up to 14 excited, positive and eager volunteers at any given time.
“A lot of people were here,” Brady Zeller said. “They did the most amazing job ever. I can’t wait to sleep in my room.”
When work was completed Sunday afternoon, Brady, who shares a room with his twin brother, Colin, got to walk into his new bedroom for the first time and see all the amazing features that would make any kid jealous.
And it was obvious he couldn’t be happier. Pointing to all the cool details of his new room, it was the jaw-dropping moment of seeing a lava lamp on a nightstand between the two beds that made Brady’s day.
“This is exciting for us and exciting for Brady,” Colleen Zeller, Brady’s mother, said. “I think it’s exciting for the community as well. The kids from the high school have been amazing. Karen and her crew have been great and it’s an uplifting and awesome project.”
In addition to a totally awesome lava lamp, a huge pegboard with each kid’s name on it resides on the wall above each bed. Two handmade Coca-Cola bottle pictures are on the wall near Brady, while Colin has a Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals sign on the pegboard and a picture of the Nationals, one of his favorite baseball teams, ready to be hung up when it arrives.
A bright light helps illuminate the room now and a new area rug ensures that the Zeller twins won’t get cold feet during those frigid winter months.
While Art from the Heart donated its time, they weren’t alone when it came to giving. Classic Carpet & Rug in Stamford donated the area rug, while JSJ Window Treatments gave the room’s shades. Fernando Martinez from Go To Your Room Custom Furniture built the custom-made headboards.
“They did a wonderful job,” said Brian Zeller, Brady’s father. “They are a great group of people with great energy. It’s great to see people from the community and people that have gone to the same school as the kids kind of come out and give back. Having all the people here provides a welcome distraction in terms of something going on around the house for Brady to think about.”
As a special surprise, Liam, Brady’s older brother, had his room redone. Liam’s room was transformed into a surfer’s paradise, complete with a painted shark on a wall, a massive painted wave on a wall with two red crabs hiding out in it, and a surf board decorated with pictures.
“It’s good,” Liam Zeller said. “It’s awesome. The shark in the water and the crab were cool. And I like my covers because it looks like I could surf.”
Having this time of great happiness, anticipation and excitement was a much-needed escape for Brady Zeller, a brave boy who is battling Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare cancer that accounts for only one percent of pediatric cancers. Ewing’s Sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer in children.
A tumor was found in Brady’s left tibia and was removed immediately. Once the tumor was taken out, a 10-month chemotherapy treatment was in order. And that’s in addition to having Salvage Lymph Node Dissection surgery.
In a show for community support, the Cos Cob School community got together during the final weeks of school vacation and sold some of Green and Tonic’s finest lemonade to raise money for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
That’s when Art from the Heart’s Morgenbesser heard Brady Zeller’s story and wanted to help out.
“We come, get an idea, and two months later come back and we have every piece together,” Morgenbesser said. “We only disrupt them for a Saturday and Sunday, so we have 48 hours to get the room done.”
Art from the Heart, an extension from Circle of Care, works with creative teams from Fairfield, New Haven, New London, Hartford and Westchester counties to offer a dream bedroom makeovers for pediatric cancer patients.
“It’s great,” Colleen Zeller said. “We spend a lot of time in the house because of what is going on with Brady and this is the perfect thing for a kid going through something like this. We couldn’t be happier. The smile on his face makes it all worthwhile.”
Morgenbesser has been doing over rooms for deserving children that have been stricken with pediatric cancer for over 10 years now and has completed an estimated 30 rooms. It was obvious to see that this makeover was quite special for Morgenbesser.
“It’s great,” Morgenbesser said. “This family is great, the reaction from the kids was great and the input from the family was great. They made my live so easy. It was fun.”
And for Morgenbesser, having a solid team behind her makes all the difference. Doing over two bedrooms in two days was a challenge, but the amount of volunteers that were willing to help out made things that much more enjoyable.
“I have a team of kids that work their butts off,” Morgenbesser said. “They are mostly high school kids from Greenwich High School. I started this 10 years ago with my oldest daughter, who is now 26 and my third child is the president. This team is pure Greenwich area and it’s great to see.”
For Morgenbesser, the most challenging aspect of the 48-hour adventure was actually something that she hasn’t done in her over 10 years of transforming rooms.
“The room was pretty straightforward, but if I had to choose something I would say coming up with the headboards,” Morgenbesser said. “We built those headboards onto the wall. It was maximizing the space, because I didn’t want to put in big full beds there. I never built headboards onto a wall before. That was interesting.”
And for Morgenbesser, giving pediatric cancer patients something to smile about is why it’s a labor of love and never gets old.
“This is beyond rewarding,” Morgenbesser said. “I get more out of this than the kid does. I really do. That sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You work and work and get so tired, but when this happens at the end where kids are happy and adults cry, it makes me ready to go do another room. It’s my giveback. I have three healthy children and I have an art and design background. If I can do this, I’m a happy camper.”
