“Designing things that would benefit and make their days better when they use them. I take solace in knowing that I have built a location that can lessen the suffering of parents whose children have fatal illnesses. ~Onaopemipo Dixon”

As an architect you tell stories through design, by experience and by conceptualizations and this is a painful story.
“A Pediatric Oncology” it was new to me but it was a challenge, I was challenged by the Medical doctor who gave an understanding to what Pediatric oncology meant, the scope of oncology and the fate of some children. It had never dawned on me this much, that children would suffer so early in their lives.
This building needed a section for a more shocking purpose, she called it “End of life care”.
The chamber was set aside for children whose condition was terminal and who were most certainly going to pass away. Because the room was the last place they would be, the caregivers made sure to give the children anything they could ask for, including visits from their favorite football player or celebrity, special meals, and the opportunity to hang out with other children They had to be separated before they passed away due to the psychological welfare of the children they had associated with. The room must therefore be placed far from the current wards. The doctor told me tales of children who abruptly stopped talking, which caused everyone to become confused, only to discover months later, after things had started to get better, that the child’s loss of voice was caused by witnessing her buddy die next to her.
The end-of-life rooms require enough ventilation, unique setups, and lighting. Resolution of this area leads to conceptualizations of how light interacts with the area. The route an angel would take if it were riding a light source. The surface it hits and the best way to utilize the available space to catch the light. It must reflect light in a way that uplifts the child’s spirits. This idea affects the placement and shape of windows, the choice of color, and how the space is oriented in relation to the surrounding structure and environment.
Due to the widespread migration of medical experts from the Nigerian healthcare sector, I took into account the distribution of personnel, and ensured that the design maintained efficiency.
Designers must account for the psychological demands of the actual users of the space in addition to the client’s economic and political realities.
In the end, I am comforted by the knowledge that I can meet the needs of these ailing children.