Sweet Dreams Foundation Gives Diamond Springs Boy Ultimate Bedroom Makeover
DIAMOND SPRINGS (CBS13) – Call it mother's intuition. When Tyler Armstrong was five-years-old, his mom noticed something wasn't right.
"He started to have stomach aches that were bizarre and we ended up taking him to the emergency room," Kimberlee Armstrong said.
After running blood tests, the doctors diagnosed Tyler with leukemia.
He would spend the next three and a half years in treatment
"Three months before he was supposed to be finished, he relapsed in his spinal fluid. So it was another two years of chemotherapy," Kimberlee said.
With his treatment completed, the family was thinking the worst was over – until they got the news it had come back.
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Tyler has relapsed three times, the latest within just the last few weeks.
Jennifer and Daniil Donchenko of the Sweet Dreams Foundation heard about Tyler and wanted to lift his spirits. More than a dozen people got together to create an ultimate dream room.
"Hopefully with this room we'll get more of that joy in his eyes and his life," Daniil said.
They kept Tyler's passion in mind for the theme.
"Disney is one of my favorites and this ride Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorites," Tyler said.
From the customized pirate ship bed to a working monorail and fog machine, the room is transformed into a pirate paradise.
"It's cool," Tyler said. "I like the skeleton."
Kimberlee is emotional and grateful and hopes the room keeps her son's drive strong as he endures his next surgery, a bone marrow transplant.
"It's overwhelming," Kimberlee said.
The Sweet Dreams Foundation received more than $5,000 in community donations to makeover Tyler's room.
"It's been an incredible experience with all the generosity of the community," Jennifer said.