"Drawing Dad" becomes sensation throughout pediatric cancer unit

When 16-year-old Owen Martin was admitted to University of Michigan Health C.S. Children’s Hospital to begin treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, he decided he was going to watch all The Simpsons during his stay.

After binge watching a couple of seasons, Owen asked his dad, Greg Martin Jr., if he could draw Bart Simpson on the window of his door. So, his dad found some white board markers and got to work, creating the famous blond spikey-haired rebellious character dunking a basketball on Homer Simpson.

Little did Greg Martin Jr. know that it would be the first of many drawings in the Mott 7 East pediatric cancer unit.

Drawing therapy

The Bart Simpson art drew attention from other patients and their families who started asking if he could draw something for their rooms, too.

The requests have ranged from Paw Patrol and Minions dressed as the Joker and the Riddler, and, a Demigorgon from Stranger Things.

In three months of his son being in and out of the hospital, Greg Martin Jr. has created over 30 different drawings adorning hospital windows in the unit.

“The last time I really drew was in high school,” he said. "As time went on, other hobbies got in the way, and I just forgot about it. But it came back to me like riding a bike.”

More requests

Nurses started taking requests from families for drawings and giving them to him.

Eventually, the white board markers were no longer sustainable and some the 7E nurses helped him upgrade to gel-based window crayons.

“I never draw anything that I have come up with,” said Greg Martin Jr. “All the ideas come from the kids, I just bring them to life.”

The drawings can take Greg Martin Jr. anywhere from one to five hours to complete.

He can recreate any cartoon like drawing from looking at the image on his phone and is a perfectionist when it comes to his work.

He has been known to erase his drawings a couple of times in the process if they are not up to his standards.

For the Martins, it all started in late May of 2023 after Owen was involved in a go karting accident that seemed to just leave him with a few bruises and scrapes.

But within a week, the teen was complaining of his side hurting and was starting to look unwell.

“He had a yellow tint to his skin,” said Greg Martin Jr.

“He’s a kid that will tell you he feels fine when he doesn’t. His mom, Christy, and I ended up bringing him to urgent care. Something didn’t seem right.”

Tests revealed that there was a problem with Owen’s spleen in addition to positive leukemia results.

The urgent care team placed the family in an ambulance and brought Owen to Mott for further treatment.

Spending hospital stays bringing cheer to other patients is mutually beneficial, Greg Martin Jr. says.

The time spent creating the drawings helps take Greg Martin Jr.’s mind off being in the hospital and the journey his son is going through.

Some nights I can’t sleep so I will go do a requested drawing on the door of a patient’s room. This is my favorite time to do the drawings. I love knowing that in the morning the curtain will be pulled back and the kid will wake up to a new drawing on their door.”

- Greg Martin Jr., C.S. Mott Children's Hospital "Drawing Dad"

“It’s a form of art therapy for myself because of how long I must concentrate on each drawing. I’m happy to know that it can have the same effect on everyone who sees it as it does on me,” he said.

Greg Martin Jr. works on the drawings at various times of the day for an array of audiences. Parents have been known to grab a snack to sit back and observe him at work, and nurses tend to stop by and admire his progress, but his favorite time to draw is during the night.

“Some nights I can’t sleep so I will go do a requested drawing on the door of a patient’s room,” he said. “This is my favorite time to do the drawings. I love knowing that in the morning the curtain will be pulled back and the kid will wake up to a new drawing on their door.”

New life to the floor

Some of Greg Martin Jr.’s biggest fans include the nursing staff.

Abigail Lemanek, RN, BSN, has noticed that the drawings seem to make the floor less scary for the kids thanks to the cartoon style and the personalization. She said that even for herself, it makes her a little more excited to go into work each day.

“I have watched him work; he is dedicated to creating beautiful drawings that you can't help but smile when you see. I know it has brought happiness to my patients and can only imagine how it makes the unit's other patients feel,” adds nurse practitioner, Chelsea Honstain, M.S., FNP-C.

The drawings have even become landmarks, helping the youngest patients navigate the hospital. Instead of telling kids to look for room numbers, families can be overheard saying “look for the dinosaur!” or “we have to find Elsa,” commented Meghan Suell, R.N., B.S.N., BMTCM.

Brigitte Szalony, R.N., B.S.N., has noticed that the drawings encourage patients to get up and move about the floor more, getting them the exercise they need.

Even, Benison Lau, M.D., Owen’s pediatric oncologist at Mott, has noticed the drawings.

“They bring joy to many of my patients,” said Lau. “As a practitioner, the drawings help break the ice with the patient. It gives you something to talk to them about to make a connection.”

Greg Martin Jr.’s greatest critiques, though, come from the patients themselves. Ziko Attal, a 12-year-old patient staying in 7 East, was the recipient of a penguin drawing created by Greg Martin Jr.

“I chose penguins because I love penguins!” said Attal. “It felt special that he thought to ask me what I wanted.”

“His artwork brings more life to 7E, the patients, their families and the hospital as a whole,” continued Attal. “His artwork really lifted my spirits.”

No slowing down

Owen is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment at Mott.

“I think what my dad does is pretty cool,” said Owen said. “It changes up the room and makes it more interesting to look at.”

As long as his son is staying at Mott, Greg Martin Jr. will continue window drawings for patients.

“Being able to bring some joy to a place full of hardship is priceless,” he said. “As long as I keep getting requests, I’ll keep drawing.”