New Interactive Murals Paint Pictures of Hope

Stacy Lazzara had no expectations the first time she picked up a piece of chalk. It was March 2020, and Covid-19 had shut the world down. To entertain her young daughters as they played outside their home in the Chicago suburbs, she created an interactive mural on her driveway. The girls loved her artwork – and so did her friends on social media. 

“I had so much fun creating that first piece, and the feedback was so overwhelmingly positive when I posted the final image online,” she said. “I soon found myself chalking daily to bring smiles to the faces of my family, friends, and neighbors.”  

The murals became fixtures in the Lazzaras’ day-to-day life in lockdown, bringing joy to their family as well as fun opportunities to connect safely with others online.  

As a parent, the pandemic was not the first time Stacy had been challenged to make the best of daunting circumstances. At two years old, her youngest daughter Averie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and completed a lengthy course of chemotherapy under the guidance of the Lurie Children's team at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Pediatric Outpatient Center. Although Averie is now a high-energy, cancer-free first-grader, the Lazzara family vividly remembers the difficult months that followed her diagnosis – as well as the gestures of kindness from their community that made them feel seen and supported.  

Now, Stacy is offering a gesture of her own to children with cancer and their families with two permanent installations of her murals at Lurie Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Both murals are custom pieces designed to match the seven natural wonders of the world theme on the 17th floor and urban nature theme on the 18th floor, respectively.  

“I’ve spent many days and nights on pediatric oncology floors, and I know firsthand that some visits are full of triumph and joy, while others are incredibly challenging and painful,” Stacy said.  

“On hard days, my sincere hope is that my designs can make the patients, families and staff feel less alone. I hope the blowing seeds of the dandelion serve as a reminder that the hard moments are fleeting, and the flag atop the mountain provides that extra boost of motivation to overcome the latest obstacle. On more lighthearted days, I hope that patients, families, and staff can have some fun posing together for photographs in front of the murals (both were created to be interactive). I love that my daughter still remembers some really fun moments she experienced with her medical team, and I would love these murals to serve as the backdrop for creating some positive and lasting memories.” 

As healthcare workers persevere in the face of the pandemic’s ongoing challenges, Stacy also hopes her artwork functions as a reminder of the staggering gratitude felt by Lurie Children’s families. “I would like to thank the entire team at Lurie Children’s for all that you do every single day for pediatric patients and their families. You are a constant source of inspiration, and I’m humbled to have my artwork hang in your halls.” 

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