Guilford Child With Cancer Receives Unique Gift From CT Nonprofit

Information via Circle of Care

GUILFORD, CT — A Guilford child who was diagnosed with leukemia last April recently received a special gift from Circle of Care, a Connecticut nonprofit dedicated to providing financial and emotional support for families of children with cancer.

The organization, along with a team of volunteers from the Guilford and Westport William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty offices, completed a dream room makeover for 6-year-old Camryn Summa-Barbour.

Her new room includes a race car bed, custom furniture, a colorful array of books, and freshly painted walls adorned with decorative artwork, all centered around a Mario Kart Princess Peach theme.

"When I close my eyes, I could not have imagined how beautiful this room is," said Camryn's mother, Courtney, in a news release. "I can't believe this room is in my house, I can't believe we get to enjoy this."

Over the past year, Camryn has had multiple blood transfusions, and spinal taps, and has started chemotherapy treatments which will last two years. She was taken out of her kindergarten class and Courtney paused her teaching career at Baldwin Middle School to take care of her daughter.

"We started playing Mario Kart in the hospital when she was first diagnosed," explained Courtney in a news release, noting how the popular video game lifted their spirits during difficult times.

The team completed the room makeover based on Camryn's vision.

"I wanted the bed to be Princess Peach," said Camryn, who is responding well to treatment.

She had a simple message for the volunteers who transformed her room: thank you.

Circle of Care was founded 20 years ago by two Wilton mothers whose young sons both had leukemia. Since then, the organization has provided critical non-medical support to families of children with cancer, including room makeovers, day-of-diagnosis care packages, and financial assistance to help families pay for expenses such as housing, food, and transportation.

The nonprofit completes up to 10-12 room makeovers per year and are approaching 175 rooms total.

For children, the experience of re-designing rooms exactly how they want provides a sense of control during a time when so much of their life is out of their grasp. The new room gives the child a fresh start, creating a comforting oasis for years to come.

Circle of Care works with Connecticut Children’s Hospital and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and is now expanding into Westchester and Southwestern Massachusetts. The nonprofit has helped 3,600 families over the past 20 years.

For more information, visit Circle of Care's website.