Rooms With Heart 

Growing up, the hospital was a home away from home for Ayana Banks. At just 6, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer that affects the nerves. She spent much of elementary and middle school in treatment. Now cancer-free, Ayana is bringing comfort to sick children—through hospital room makeovers.

Though being sick was hard, Ayana has good memories of her hospital room. She was surrounded by posters, princess blankets, and Hello Kitty pillows. “Having a space that felt like home was very comforting,” she recalls.

Ayana wanted to make the hospital a positive experience for other kids. So in 10th grade, she launched a nonprofit called the Sweet Dream Project. Young patients share their preferences, such as favorite cartoon characters. Then with money raised through donations, Ayana shops for their decorations.

The teen has given more than a dozen large duffel bags of decorations to patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the places where she was treated. She recently began working with another hospital in Pennsylvania and hopes to help even more kids. “If I can bring some of them a little joy, everything I’ve gone through feels worth it,” Ayana says.

—Anna Starecheski