PILOT POINT - Chalisa Smith smiled as she sat in her new bedroom Saturday.
She hadn't wanted to look until volunteers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation were all done. But she eventually gave in to her curiosity, her smile glowing as she looked around the redecorated room.
Chalisa, 14, was diagnosed in 2007 with neuroblastoma - a childhood cancer that attacks the nervous system. A year later, she went into remission, but the cancer returned in 2010.
Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteers Allison and Robert Royalty have been working with Chalisa for several months to grant her a wish. At first, she considered the common requests - a trip to Disney World, swimming with dolphins. But in the end she decided to go against the norm.
"I kind of wanted to be different, and a room makeover sounded really cool," she said. "Plus, it lasts a long time."
Before the makeover, her room was a "little-girl room," with a lot of decorations and furniture that were nice when she was 6, she said - but now she's ready for a more grown-up look.
On Saturday, the Royaltys and Chalisa's father, Jason Savage, worked to put the finishing touches on the room.
"It's amazing; I love it," Chalisa said.
Make-A-Wish officials said the makeover was possible thanks to Broyhill Furniture, which sponsored 50 room makeovers around the country for the foundation. Allison Royalty took Chalisa shopping at Stacy Furniture in Allen, a Broyhill retailer, where they picked out new furniture, a mattress, mirrors, wall hangings, lamps, pillows, a chandelier and more. A new flat-panel television also was donated for her room.
Allison Royalty said she and her husband have been Make-A-Wish volunteers for 17 years, and this was the first time they'd granted a wish for a room makeover.
Chalisa said she spends a lot of time in her room resting. Her biweekly chemotherapy treatments weaken her immune system, tiring her out. She also feels pain in her right arm.
Her grandmother, Denise "Dee Dee" Savage, takes her to her weekly appointments at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. She also makes sure Chalisa takes her medicine, she said, "except for her shots - her dad gives her those, and I hold her hand."
Chalisa said she used to hate shots but now she's used to them.
"But it's sad to see how many other little kids are used to it, too," she said.
Chalisa just finished eighth grade at Tioga Middle School. She had to miss a lot of classes, though, because of her weakened immune system. Because of her frequent absences, she hopes to take some courses online this summer so she can enter high school this fall.
Jason Savage works as an independent contractor for Mrs. Baird's. While his mother drives Chalisa to her appointments, he concentrates on attending to his younger son, Eston, 9. And he relies on help from friends and neighbors in Pilot Point.
"Everyone in this community has been helpful," he said.
MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-566-6884. His e-mail address is mzabel@dentonrc.com.
