When Ayana Banks was six years old and battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, she thought every child admitted to the hospital received a decorated room.
During her treatment for stage four neuroblastoma at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, her walls were brightened with Hello Kitty pillows, family photos, princess blankets, and string lights. To her young eyes, it felt like a slice of home in an otherwise stale environment.
What she didn’t realize was that the decorations weren’t standard issue — they were her mother’s doing.
“I actually thought all hospital rooms came decorated,” said Banks, 17, now a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. “Later, when I was in remission, my mom told me she was the one who set everything up. That was such a shocker. But when I think back on my journey, those decorations are what I remember most. They made me happy, even during the hardest times.”
That revelation planted the seed for what would become The Sweet Dream Project. Banks founded the nonprofit to channel her experience as a cancer survivor into a mission that transforms hospital rooms for pediatric patients into spaces of warmth, comfort, and joy — essentially, a sanctuary for their Sweet Dreams at night.
The initiative was born out of a capstone assignment toward the end of her sophomore year at SCH. Students were encouraged to design a business or nonprofit, and Banks immediately thought of her hospital experience and the comfort her decorated room brought her, amidst the grueling cycles of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy.
“I had a lot of happy times,” she said. “And those happy times were always when my room was decorated. It made it feel like mine, like home. Not every child has that, so I wanted to make sure other kids could feel what I felt.”
That psychological lift became the inspiration behind the project.
Through the nonprofit, families can apply for The Sweet Dream Duffle — custom, themed bags filled with decorations and personal touches to brighten a child’s hospital stay. Each room makeover costs around $400, funded entirely through donations. (Due to privacy laws, Banks, who does the shopping, cannot personally decorate the rooms — a Child Life Specialist handles that part. However, she often receives photos and testimonies from the patients afterward.)
The Sweet Dream Project earned the top spot in this year’s Entrepreneurs Game Plan, an annual business pitch challenge for high school students hosted by the Philadelphia Eagles and Firstrust Bank. In doing so, Banks scored $2,500 for her school.
For Banks, Sweet Dream is about more than décor; it’s about mental health. Research suggests that children diagnosed with cancer are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than their healthy peers.
Banks knows firsthand how the simple act of surrounding a child with familiar colors, lights, and comforts can help combat those mental health challenges.
“My room being decorated boosted my mood so much,” she said. “It gave me hope. And if it did that for me, I know it can do the same for others.”
After graduating from high school, Banks plans to attend Hampton University in Virginia, where she will major in entrepreneurship and continue to grow The Sweet Dream Project. Her vision is to expand beyond CHOP and eventually reach hospitals across the country, helping as many pediatric cancer patients as possible.
“Every child deserves to feel comforted and at home while they’re in the hospital,” she said.
Learn more about The Sweet Dream Project and how you can donate to help personalize a pediatric cancer patient’s hospital room.
