Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bedroom makeover
Noah Rome wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, and he’s got quite a head start for a 4-year-old battling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
While he was out celebrating his birthday with the family Saturday morning, more than a dozen firefighters from Palm Beach County and Delray Beach fire rescue were converting his bedroom into a fire station.
“It was his birthday,” said paramedic Jen Kleier. “We wanted to do something nice for him and this was the perfect opportunity.”
Noah and his family had visited several fire stations over the years to thank firefighters for their annual Fill The Boot campaign to raise research funds to help find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy.
In return, firefighters worked in his Boynton Beach home from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to mount real fire hoses, ladders, helmets and other gear on the walls, and tuck in bed sheets decorated with fire engines.
“It turned out to be much bigger and better than I ever thought it would be,” said grandfather Scott Rome. “There’s going to be a special place in heaven for these people and the birthday they gave my grandson.”
Noah has previously gotten the grand tour of real fire stations and fire engines, which has ignited his passion.
“He’s very creative and imaginative and he lives every day to the fullest,” said mother Erika Rome. “He’s got this light around him and the people around him just feel good, and if anybody can persevere through this illness and this disease, it’s going to be him.”
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an inherited genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, typically affecting boys.
There is no cure, but physical therapy and medication are used to combat symptoms that include trouble walking and running, frequent falling and difficulty getting up, and learning disabilities, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“Life may not be so easy for him down the road, but this is something that he will always remember,” said grandmother Connie Rome. “And for that I will be eternally grateful.”