“Our Lady of Fatima,” a new mural inside Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, welcomes patients and their families who use Bella’s Room, a specially designed space for children receiving palliative care.
The mural and Bella’s Room were blessed by Father Paul Yi of St. George Catholic Church in conjunction with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters on July 31.
Remembering Bella
Bella’s Room is named in honor of Bella Bowman, a patient who passed away in 2011 at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. Her parents created the Bella Bowman Foundation, which works closely with Our Lady of the Lake Foundation on projects for our children’s hospital, specifically making sure every child has a sense of home during their stay.
Grant Makes Art Possible
A $10,000 Sowing Seeds Fund grant funded the mural’s creation. The grant was specific for a Christian organization and given to Our Lady of the Lake Foundation for this work.
Local artist Jacob Zumo was commissioned to create the mural. Because of Bella’s affinity for Mary, she was chosen as the subject for the art.
After a round of sketches and in coordination with the Bowman family and the FMOL Sisters, Zumo completed the canvas in his studio and painted at the hospital for three days. The mural depicts Mary speaking with a child and his parents, encouraging them in their suffering.
The canvas in the middle of the mural can be removed, and the painting covers the entire wall in the positive pressure room leading into Bella’s Room. The rooms are located on the same floor where pediatric cancer patients receive treatment through our St. Jude affiliate clinic.
The positive pressure room helps to prevent immunocompromised patients from getting sick. The room maintains a higher pressure inside than outside of the room to keep possible airborne pathogens from moving to adjacent areas.
A Red Dot
When Bella was a patient, her dad, Trey Bowman, drew a red dot to symbolize her cancer. After the surgery attempting to remove it Bella’s first question was “Did they get the red dot?”
Zumo included a small red dot in the painting near Mary to symbolize that story and another way to honor Bella’s memory.
Bella’s Room was designed for end-of-life care, but it’s used by many patients, including those with contagious diseases to keep them and other patients safer.
