The discovery that color has healing properties and can affect one’s moods in positive ways is nothing new.

What is

new is a student community service initiative at UConn Avery Point in Groton that kicked off this summer. Titled “Color Out Cancer,” it provides complete room makeovers — paint, furniture, bedding, curtains, rugs, accessories — for pediatric cancer patients undergoing treatment or in recovery.

In July the students did a bedroom makeover for 15-year-old Neena, from Clinton, and just recently they completed a bedroom for 3-year-old Grace Grenier of Uncasville.

The concept of Color Out Cancer is to “color out the physical and emotional pain of cancer through collaboratively planning and transforming the room into a place of happiness, good spirits, and exploding with color,” says Jonathan Markovics, an undergraduate at UConn Avery Point, who created the initiative and coordinated its implementation.

This past year, as a freshman, Markovics received a $4,000 UConn IDEA grant that’s awarded for “creative, innovative, original projects developed by UConn students.

Markovics participated in similar room makeovers in high school and says he wanted to continue doing this kind of service work in college. He says the goal of the project is to raise spirits and brighten the lives of the families.

Markovics contacted several hospitals and pediatric offices on the shoreline to suggest patients that would be a good fit for the makeovers. He reached out to the first two families that agreed to be part of the project.

Although Markovics and the student volunteers did all the physical work, he felt it was important for the families and kids to be involved in every step, from approving the design boards to choosing the final selection of the room layout and design.

An economics major, Markovics says, “I love being involved in service and thought this was a great thing to start, not only for pediatric cancer patients, but also something UConn Avery Point students can be involved with.”

About 15 students have volunteered their time to the project, in all different majors, including graphic design, allied health and accounting.

“It’s open to anyone who wants to give back and be involved,” Markovics says. “I thank all the volunteers. It wouldn’t have been possible without all the help and support.” 

The makeovers

“Neena’s was a room full of her favorite colors — red, white and black,” Markovics explains. Everything in the room was based on these colors, using very clean lines and keeping it simple. She didn’t want much furniture — ‘less is more’ for that room.”

Markovics and volunteers prepped and painted a geometric patterned wall in red, white and black. The other three walls were painted white. They added shelves, rearranged the layout, did touch-up painting, then brought in furniture and bedding.

Grace’s room was more of a challenge because she shares it with two of her three sisters, who are 1 and 2 years old and it needed to include two beds and a crib.

Because of her young age, Grace’s room is more child- like, full of her favorite colors — lilac purples and shades of pink — and is decorated with huge butterflies and flowers. To give her some personal space in the shared room, the students incorporated an area for reading, drawing and math — her favorite things to do.

“When Gracie walked in the door, I and all the volunteers yelled ‘surprise!’ and her face lit up with a huge smile,” Markovics says. “That smile did not disappear the entire time she wandered around the room.

“Gracie is such a happy and fun little girl with such a caring heart,” he continues. “She was always offering to help me and was so excited for us to reveal her room. When she and her sisters walked past the room before we were finished, they always covered their eyes so they wouldn’t peek.” 

A parent’s perspective

Grace’s mother, Krista Greiner, says she is very thankful that the students wanted to do something nice for her daughter.

Greiner explains that Grace was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the liver about one month before she turned 2 years old. She went through chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor, and more chemotherapy and finished treatments in late February 2014 — one week before her baby sister was born.

“She has been in remission for almost a year and a half. Her next scans are in September and we continue to pray that she remains cancer free,” Greiner says.

She thinks the best thing about the makeover for Grace was that she got to pick out her favorite colors and things to put in her room.

“Grace is very girly, so she was so excited to have pretty things in her room,” Greiner says.

The best thing for herself, she says, was to stop focusing on “needs” and do something that was extra special and just fun.

“When you are a parent of a child with cancer, your life is stripped down to survival mode, basic needs, getting enough sleep, keeping kids fed, etc.” she points out. “We have been getting back to normal and trying to do more fun stuff, but it takes a while to recover as a family from the mindset of survival mode.

“It has also been really refreshing to look forward to something good, instead of thinking about the next appointment for ultrasounds and x-rays.” Greiner adds. “It makes my heart happy to see her enjoy something so much and get to have something rare happen to her that was positive instead of negative.”

Greiner notes that after seeing the room finished, she was touched by how perfect it was for Grace.

“She kept asking if she could take a nap all afternoon!” Greiner says. “She loved helping put butterfly stickers up on the wall and sitting in her own little chair. It was really made just for her. They did such an amazing job.”

Greiner believes decorating someone’s surroundings in beautiful colors and favorite things can have a positive impact on recovery from an illness.

“Your environment can really affect your comfort level, your stress level, or how well you sleep,” she says. “… and not only is it physically helpful, it’s emotionally healing, too. All of those things are really important to recovery. As well as just knowing that there are people out there that care about you enough to do something loving for you.”

Greiner emphasizes how impressed she is that the students would give so much of their time to do this for her daughter.

“And, they did such a professional job. It looks like it could be in a magazine,” she observes.

Greiner hopes that the students will be able to do the same thing for more kids like Grace.

“I know it will mean so much to their families, like it has for us,” she says. “When you have to go through something like this, and are unable to give your kids all the things you wish you could because of other priorities, it really makes a difference when others step in and help to just hold up a part of that burden and love your kid.”

Markovics is on the same page as Greiner. He hopes to get the funding to continue the community service initiative and make it an annual tradition at the university.

For more information about Color Out Cancer makeovers, contact Jonathan Markovics at jonathan.markovics@uconn.edu or (860) 304-7458.