Liam's Story

Meet Liam!

Liam was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma just before Christmas in 2020 when he was five years old.

COVID protocols were very strict during this time, so for the first year and a half of treatment he was not allowed to have anyone (other than his Mom and Dad) visit or stay with him at the hospital. Liam is a twin, so he went from a life of brotherhood and connection (and shared room with Luke), to complete isolation instantly. He also has an older brother, Davey. The boys were devastated to be separated so drastically and for such long periods of time.

Liam has been fighting with such courage and has been hospitalized for hundreds of days during the course of his treatment to date, suffering from multiple life-threatening infections caused by the treatment regime on his tiny body. This sweet boy has had 60 blood transfusions and spent several weeks not just in the hospital but in PICU, again isolated from his family.

Liam and his brothers have had to learn to live without each other for long periods of time and are learning how to build their friendship again. We wanted Liam’s room to be a beautiful space to share with his brothers. Liam’s room before was a place where he was sick and isolated.

Our Ponton Interiors designer, Alexia, poured love and light heartedness into Liam’s new room. She connected his love of sports and minecraft with an open plan with lots of room for sibling sleepovers.

Liam and the boy’s first look at Liam’s room

Bunk beds are a tried and true kid friendly way to get more sleeping space in a room. The boys were quick to claim their favorite spots. We love the idea of weekend sleepovers for gaming and movie nights in their brand new space.

Thanks to The Drapery Company for providing beautiful drapes with fun trim! The black and white trim adds a pop of fun pattern, while black out drapery allows for sleeping in on the weekends and getting good rest for recovery.

Our friends with Sir Painter did an incredible job bringing Alexia’s vision of striped walls to life. With gradient colors and restful blue tones we LOVE the way this room ties together fun with room to grow.

New storage solutions make for an organized and fun space

Details are always such an important touch in a well designed room. From sports art work from Target to the comfiest beanbag chair ever, we added storage solutions and functionality mixed with industrial hardware and metal trim. California closets donated incredible closet systems that allow the boys rooms to be organized and attractive.

Custom window treatment from The Drapery Company.

Luke and Davey shared the room next door to Liam and we were thrilled to be able to open up their space and create lots of usable storage for toys and games.

Fun border details separate the painted elements (thanks Sir Painter) from the custom wallpaper design created with Love vs Design wallpaper company. We utilized the colors in the drapery trim in our custom wallpaper design, to mimic a fun pattern, the perfect backdrop for superheros and adventurers.

Thanks to our generous partners from Erwin Electric we were able to update all of the lighting and fans in both rooms. New lighting makes for the perfect spot to play, do homework and build Legos!

Mural wallpaper and window treatment details

Thanks to our friends at California Closets for this exciting donation organized in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. When Chad, with California Closets learned that the boys were really into soccer, he knew he had to connect these elements somehow. In addition to creating a functional and beautifully designed closet, these Rowdie jerseys and tickets were a huge hit!

Design Team and Savvy Giving by Design volunteers on reveal day!

We loved meeting Liam his adventurous brothers, Luke and Davey. Their rooms had become divided spaces where they sleep. We were excited to create nurturing spaces that foster togetherness and healing. These boys have a lot to catch up on and we are thankful we had the opportunity to create new rooms for them to create and build memories, to grow and to thrive.

Savvy Giving by DesignKylie PontonJuly 14, 2023Savvy Giving by Design, Kylie PontonComment