A room of their own for ailing teens is dedicated

The Living Room was the vision of Ezra Abraham

BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

The Living Room at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch was dedicated last week on the birthday of the young man who envisioned the room as a place of respite for teens undergoing treatment.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EZRA ABRAHAM TO LIFE FOUNDATION Clockwise from top: The Living Room provides a place for teens to relax during hospital stays. Susan Dulczak, of Monmouth Medical Center, and Craig Viechec, president of the Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation.

The Living Room was dedicated by the Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation, which also funded the room, in a ceremony at the medical center on Second Avenue attended by Abraham’s family members.

The Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation is named for its founder, who passed away from a rare cancer four years ago. Ezra would have turned 27 on Aug. 25, the day the Living Room was dedicated.

Joanna Black, spokeswoman for the foundation, explained that the idea was originally Ezra’s and that he saw it as filling a need.

"It was developed out of the need for teens with terminal diseases," Black said in an interview last week. "It was his idea of some kind of better place to [spend time when undergoing treatment].

 

"It was also his idea to raise money and start the foundation," she added.

According to Black, the room cost $100,000 and all the funds were donated by the foundation. The Living Room was designed by Bread Design Group, New York.

The problem Ezra sought to remedy was that teenagers confined in the hospital had no place age-appropriate to go to relax.

"All they could go to was the cafeteria, their rooms and the pediatric floor," Black said. "All they could do was play with building blocks and face paint."

Craig Veichec, president of the foundation’s board, also spoke about the need for such a living room.

"We wanted to focus on the teenager because they seemed to be neglected," he said in an interview. "It was awkward having them on the pediatric floor with little kids."

According to Veichec, the idea started with a collaboration between the foundation and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

 

"We needed a new direction when they told us they didn’t have the space for it," he said.

Ezra, who was a resident of the Oakhurst section of Deal, was in and out of Monmouth Medical Center since being diagnosed with a rare cancer at the age of 16.

The fact that Ezra was from the area and that the medical center had a play room in need of refurbishing made Monmouth the perfect match.

"They had an existing playroom that was out of date," Veichec said.

Veichec admitted that the process of getting the room up and running was not an easy one.

"We went through several months of planning," he said. "We came up with a plan, but it took a long time."

Veichec also said creating a budget and months of meetings was some of the work that went into the opening of the Living Room.

A priority for the foundation was that the room should be different from the hospital atmosphere.

"We wanted it to be a place where everybody could relax and chill out," Veichec said. "We wanted to make the rule that no treatment is issued in the Living Room.

"We wanted it to not look like the rest of the hospital," he continued. "It was really a dreary place and there was no space for him to hang out."

Black said the Living Room is equipped with a large-screen TV, video game systems and computers.

"It’s giving them an escape from what’s really going on," she said. "They are old enough to understand the situation."

In a press release, Black described the room as "a place to meet with friends and family, a place to chill out and read a great book, play video games or surf the Web."

Black described Abraham during the later stages of his life as being able to keep positive.

"He kept a positive outlook through it all," she said. "He wanted a place to have a support system in place."

Black said that the room has been operational for months now and that it was officially dedicated on Aug. 25.

Black said that at least two girls, ages 16 and 20, have already been utilizing the room.

"He just wanted to improve the quality of services at the hospital," she said. "They are in there and loving it.

"We are really starting to see the benefits," she added. "It’s changed their lives."

Veichec agreed with the reaction to the room thus far.

"It is being used the way we wanted it to be used," he said.

The Living Room in Long Branch is the model for what Veichec and Black hope will be others in other medical facilities.

"It is a prototype for future living rooms," Veichec said. "There are no specific hospitals we are targeting."

The foundation has held a variety of fundraisers including walks, a basketball tournament, a comedy show and a gift auction.

According to the foundation’s website, the mission statement of the Ezra Abraham To Life Foundation is "to ease the suffering of children with cancer and their families."

The foundation can be reached online at http://www.tolifefoundation.org- /main.html.

Contact Kenny Walter at [email protected]