Our Stories
Mural Painters' Story
Danielle and John at work in Rachel's Courtyard
Three years ago Izabelle and Jackson were born at Presbyterian. Their mother Danielle had already been in the hospital on and off for months coping with premature labor. Staff took John, the father-to-be, on a tour of the newborn ward, showed him how small the premies were and the special care they needed. “When they finished with the tour, I was ready to do anything and everything to make sure Danielle would come to full-term,” he said.
In spite of their efforts, the twins were born eight weeks early. The newborns spent the first six weeks of their lives in the NICU.
“The care I received was so personal and everyone was very attentive,” Danielle said. Once they got home and life settled down for everyone, the new parents decided they wanted to give something back to the hospital
Today, Izabelle is taking dancing lessons, Jackson has joined a soccer league, and John and Danielle are back at Presbyterian painting up a storm of murals in Rachel’s courtyard, the outdoor play space for hospitalized children funded entirely by donations from the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation.
John and Danielle’s business is “State of the Art”, a company that specializes in murals and custom finishes. The Courtyard is covered with tarpaulins and the smell of fresh paint is everywhere. Mom and Dad are painting scenes of the four seasons on the outside walls and shortly will move onto the interior walls to do a medical center and a kitchen.
It’s going to be interactive, according to John. He will paint some children into the scenes, but will leave some open places where kids can paint the sketches of children, which he did on large sheets of paper and will leave behind, and then place them into the scenes.
There will also be a large Oak tree on one wall with lots of leaves and the children will paint the leaves with their names. “It’s called the Healing Tree because these kids have left their names and gone home well,” he said.
“This place is cooler than Disneyland,” Danielle said. It is, thanks to her and her husband and their ‘giving back’ to Presbyterian.
