New lounge for teenage cancer patients opens at Diamond Children’s in Tucson
08/01/2024
Dedicated space honors the memory of 18-year-old cancer patient Kelsey Luria
Thanks to a generous financial gift from the Bald Beauties Project® to the Banner Health Foundation, a new Teen Lounge has opened at Diamond Children’s Medical Center, providing a visually appealing and cozy space for teens who are undergoing cancer treatment.
Diamond Children’s treats more than 100 teens each year who are undergoing cancer treatment. One of those teens was 18-year-old Kelsey Luria, who died on April 18, 2015, after a 5 ½ month battle with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare bone marrow cancer. Her parents, Maya and Michael Luria, intimately know the impact on teenagers undergoing months of treatment in a hospital. They decided to honor their daughter’s memory and enrich the lives of other teens fighting cancer by creating the Bald Beauties Project® Teen Lounge at Diamond Children’s.
Before Kelsey lost her battle with cancer, she created the Bald Beauties Project® that works to empower children and teen cancer patients who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. Bald Beauties provides these patients with a photo shoot to help them feel beautiful and self-confident, provides comfort kits to teens who are hospitalized, and supports ongoing research of acute myeloid leukemia.
Kelsey’s parents continue this legacy with generous contributions in her honor through the Bald Beauties Project®, including the creation of the new Teen Lounge at Diamond Children’s. The $150,000 project offers teens a space to hang out together or enjoy moments alone playing video games or watching movies on a 75-inch flat screen TV. The room has a window backdrop featuring three panels that project destination images such as Paris, the beach, or a jungle. In addition, the room features self-programmable neon lighting that can be changed with the push of a button.
“Rarely a day goes by at Diamond Children’s without our feeling Kelsey’s impact, and the new Teen Lounge is another example of her kindness and thoughtfulness for others. On behalf of patients past, present and future, we are forever thankful for the Lurias’ dedication to helping provide comfort in a time of great need,” said Courtney McClellan, nursing associate director for pediatric oncology at Diamond Children’s.
To read a full-length feature article on Kelsey, the Bald Beauties Project® and the new Teen Lounge, click the link Summer Issue 2024 – BizTUCSON; the story can be found on pages 104-107.
About Banner Children’s – Diamond Children’s Medical Center
Banner Children’s – Diamond Children’s Medical Center provides pediatric care for children, from newborns to teens. Services include emergency care, heart disorders, traumatic brain injury, autism and developmental disorders, cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastrointestinal and nutritional disorders, neurological problems, orthopedics, intensive care needs and more. It is the only pediatric medical facility in Arizona connected to an academic research facility — the University of Arizona Steele Children’s Research Center — where physician-scientists provide access to groundbreaking science and research to advance children’s health. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/diamondchildrens.
