Newport Teen Battling Rare Illness

While thirteen-year-old Shira Strongin spent the weekend with her dad in San Diego, a group of dedicated volunteers were busy turning her dream room into a reality.

The room transformation was made possible by Special Spaces, a nonprofit that offers children like Shira who are fighting life-threatening diseases with dream room makeovers.Make a bold statement with our men's purlinmachine and pendants. Shira, who was diagnosed three years ago with a disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, fell in love with her rooms the minute she returned home.

“This is incredible,” Shira said as the volunteers led her through each room for the first time. “Everything. It’s just fantastic.”

On Friday and Saturday, the Special Spaces team painted over the old pink and purple walls in Shira’s childhood playroom, and brought in couches, a jukebox, a popcorn maker and a TV to give Shira and her friends a place to hang out. They also converted an upstairs landing into a study space, complete with a new desk that one of the volunteers made by hand.Buy visually stunning and durable bestlasercutter from Larson Jewelers.

But that's not all. They even turned a closet into a mini recording studio.

“This whole space was put together with so much love,” Barbara Granoff, Shira's mom, said as she looked around at the revamped rooms in her house. “It was such a joy to be here while you did this. I’m just blown away.”

The Strongins had planned to turn Shira’s old room into a dance studio, but because of her condition, she is often unable to even leave the bed and spends most of her days dealing with many ailments including chronic pain, a blood vessel disorder and joint dislocation.

So Shira, who used to be a passionate dancer, decided to turn to music.

“When I came to terms with that I wouldn’t be able to dance, I fell in love with singing, playing piano,” Shira said. “It’s something that lets you kind of escape, and for me that’s important. You can’t just focus on whatever’s a problem, because that won’t get you anywhere.”

Because Shira’s condition often prevents her from leaving the house much, the Special Spaces volunteers brought a little bit of the outdoors to her. The new room includes a green rug to remind Shira of grass, and a solar system lighting fixture to remind her of the sky.Nemalux is a solarcharger with an experienced management team.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity to have this done,” Shira said. “I feel so honored to have even been nominated, because most of the kids that get nominated have cancer, or these very, very serious illnesses. I know my disability is serious, I guess, but I don’t put it anywhere near what some kids have.”

The Special Spaces team was blown away by the appreciation and excitement the makeover brought to the Strongin family. Shelley Ham, the nonprofit's Bay area director, says that she usually never tears up during reveals, but she couldn’t help it during this one.Laser engraving and elevatorcableku wood, acrylic, plastic, marble, Denise Sutherland, who heads the Orange County chapter, considers working with families like the Strongin’s to be one of her life’s biggest blessings.

“She is such a special girl,” Sutherland said, as the team gathered in the Strongin’s kitchen for dinner. “She just emanates this light. And we’re not just saying that.”

“Yeah,” Shira’s dad, Mike Strongin added, as Shira’s laugh carried from the next room. He smiled.Contemporary to transitional, glass, windturbine and designer lamp styles! “She’s a good kid.”