Although Tess Rooney is now 17, she still remembers the sights, sounds and smells of a hospital, having spent a lot of time in them when she was little.  When Chief Development Officer Linda DeArmant decided the Pediatric Treatment Room at Blanchard Valley needed brightened up, she knew just who to ask.   Linda knew that both Rooney gals are artistically inclined.

"When Linda approached me about it, my first thought was 'absolutely, YES!'  We spent many hours in pediatric treatment areas when Tess was little, so we know how bland a hospital's décor can be."

When Tamera asked Tess if she would like to help with the mural, Tess didn't hesitate. "… the first day we were working on it, we worked 6 straight hours, which is quite a bit, when you consider that the mural is covering the full wall, top to bottom."

With their busy schedules, finding time to create the mural has been challenging but they are making it work. "Neither one of us has worked on it without the other, so it has truly been a joint project."  The completely collaborative project has both Rooneys drawing free-hand and painting with acrylic. They have also extended the invitation to some of the staff to draw on the wall.

So why animals? The artists discussed different ideas and settled on a jungle theme because it offered a great variety of colorful plants and animals to paint.

"Children love animals and we thought it would be distracting to them while they are being treated. They can spend time looking for semi-hidden animals while being treated. We hope it will offer something else to concentrate on rather than a treatment that might be painful or frightening." 

Tess has incorporated her favorite animal, the Okapi (also called a "forest giraffe"), in the mural.  According to Tamera, being back in the hospital has brought back memories for Tess, creating a slight challenge; .."but only when there are needles in the room.

Although Tess is 17 she remembers things like how the hospital smells and what it feels like to get a needle "poke". One day there was a container of packaged needles on the counter. On that day, she chose to work on the farthest side of the room, away from the needles."

In addition to helping brighten the treatment room, Tamera says there is an added benefit to working on the project with her daughter: spending time together ".. which is rare for a teen-age girl and her mother these days. I am enjoying it, …it's so neat to have fun with your 17 year old daughter!"