Nurse's elaborate dry-erase artwork brings cheer to his child patients

“Anything to bring a smile is worth doing,” said Edgar Palomo.

ByABC News
April 13, 2017, 10:05 AM

— -- This nurse’s drawings are bringing cheer to his young patients at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Edgar Palomo, 27, makes dry-erase artwork on the hematology/oncology floor to lighten the mood for the kids.

“I've always wanted to help people, which led me to nursing,” Palomo, who has been working at Cook Children’s for four years, wrote to ABC News. “I never wanted to pursue anything in art, so doing the drawings helps me to combine the two together in a positive and therapeutic manner.”

He said he’s been doing the drawings for the unit and patients for three years.

“As word of mouth goes around, it's gotten more frequent,” he explained of his elaborate creations. “I take requests from patients, families and staff. It can be a popular movie at the time or it might be something related to a holiday.”

“Beauty and the Beast”

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

“The Wizard of Oz

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

“Superman”

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

“Winnie the Pooh”

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

Each drawing takes a few hours to complete, although Palomo said, “My job comes first.”

“I can usually only work on the drawings a little bit at a time when I have some free time,” he said. “And there is not always downtime. Therefore, a drawing can take one to two weeks, depending on how busy the unit is.”

PHOTO: Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.
Edgar Palomo, a nurse on the hematology/oncology floor at Cook Children's Medical Center, draws dry-erase artwork to cheer up the young patients.

Palomo is happy that his attempt to bring some cheerful color to the floor “can have such a positive impact on the kids.”

“Anything to bring a smile is worth doing,” he said.