My Happy Place - Fort Dodge

04/28/2025

Cheryl Fleming was the recent recipient of a My Happy Place - Fort Dodge bedroom makeover and we’re pretty sure she’s going to wake up, look around her room and wonder where she is!

With a recent diagnosis of ALS, Cheryl’s family and community rallied together to do something extraordinary and very special for someone they love an awful lot. MHP designer, Kara Ocenasek, did a lot of coordinating to design a room that would accommodate Cheryl’s growing needs. In just a matter of a few days, Cheryl's bedroom received a major transformation, complete with new vinyl flooring, bedding, window coverings, TV, a built-in wall fireplace and a cozy sitting area.

When the door opened revealing her beautiful new room, we heard Cheryl exclaim, “I’m never going to leave it!” That translates to “mission accomplished”.

We’d like to acknowledge all those who gave of their time and/or talents. There are many and they need to be recognized! We set a monetary goal and the generosity of over 70 individuals helped to not only make that goal but surpass it, which was a blessing since we encountered a few unexpected surprises. A list of the monetary donors is included with the room pictures. A special thank you to Koch Fertilizer for being the main supporter on this room.

THANK YOU:
Supreme Painting – Nathan Ure
Shannon McKennie, Kyle Porter and crew for floor prep and installing underlayment
Nick Moore – Ms. Mops Cleaning Services LLC – donated a deep clean of the house
Lift Chair – gift from Sheila Border, Dawn Savery, Ann Knobbe
KOCH volunteers – Shelby Fleming, Melissa Meisgeier, Troy Jepsen, Logan Paire and Jacob Trunnell
CARGILL volunteers – Dave Dolecheck, Jerry Ennis, Joe Cswercko
Elkin Flooring – John Elkin, discounted flooring installation
Sue's Draperies, Etc. - Discounted electric blinds, curtain rod and donated install
Cheryl’s friends: Renee Kaputska, Paulette Heddinger, Margie Fleming and Laurie Wagner
Connie Gustafson – handmade throw
Grace Lutheran Quilters – quilt
Libby Degen – food for volunteers working on room and flowers for Reveal
Nichole McElrow – food/snacks for volunteers
Ronnette Lombard – Scentsy donation
Crossroads Hotel & Event Center – accommodations for 3 night stay donated
Sara Scharf – restaurant gift card
Kennadie Machovec – Reveal snacks
Bob O’Brien – O’Brien Builders (last minute requests)
Eric Suby – Love & Luck Photography (a My Happy Place – Mason City Partner) Thank you for being willing to travel to capture the Reveal as nobody does it better than you.
Furniture Mattress Outlet of Mason City (a My Happy Place – Mason City Partner always willing to lend a hand, even to a neighboring MHP), and Ken Akers, Spring Air for donating the mattress
Leon Christianson, Christianson Interiors. This gentleman certainly went above and beyond: While Leon didn’t have the time to install the flooring himself, he supplied the flooring, not just once, but twice. When an unfortunate mishap occurred, Leon jumped in his van and traveled from Lake Mills, IA to Fort Dodge (2 hour drive one way), to supply more flooring as he knew of the time crunch and Leon would never leave someone in a bind when he has the means to help out. Leon, you’re one in a million! Leon is one of My Happy Place – Mason City’s Partners and we realize how fortunate we are to have him.

Cheryl and Matt – We hope your newly decorated bedroom brings you comfort, serenity and makes you feel better just by being in it. It was a privilege to be able to gift this to you.
– My Happy Place – Fort Dodge and its generous supporters.

04/15/2025

Cheryl's bedroom Reveal will take place on Sunday, April 27th at noon. Friends and family are welcome to attend to show their support for Cheryl and her family.

03/11/2025

My Happy Place wants to thank all those who have graciously given a donation towards Cheryl Fleming’s bedroom makeover. We’re happy to say we’re only a few dollars away from our online goal and we received the news that we will be receiving a wonderful donation from Koch Fertilizer. Koch has assisted us on other room makeovers, and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support.

Because of the large size of Cheryl’s bedroom, purchasing the amount of vinyl flooring that’s needed and finding someone to lay the flooring has been a real challenge, so I reached out to a gentleman who helps My Happy Place – Mason City. Coming to our rescue to help us out with the cost of the flooring is Leon Christianson, of Christianson Interiors in Lake Mills. Leon has been a faithful supporter of My Happy Place – Mason City since their conception and has to date, has laid carpet in 27 rooms. Not only does he supply the carpet free of charge, but he installs it as well and more often than not, attends the Reveals. Although Leon doesn’t have the time to travel to Fort Dodge for this room, he has offered to DONATE the flooring. That’s neighbors helping neighbors.

Our challenges aren’t over yet. We still need some help and a little muscle would be beneficial. We hope you’ll share this post or tag somebody you think might be able to help. Needed:

*Somebody who would be willing to make a trip to Lake Mills to pick up the boxes of flooring.

*Someone to rip out the current carpet, pull staples, sweep and get it ready for underlayment.

*Someone who can make a trip to Menards in FD to pick up the underlayment.

*Someone who can lay the underlayment so that it’s ready for the floor layers.

My Happy Place is about bringing a community together for one of their own and we know the right people who can help will come forward and we will be able to give Cheryl a room to fit her needs now and in the coming months.

02/22/2025

My Happy Place – Fort Dodge is pleased to announce our next recipient. When Cheryl Fleming was told she had been nominated for a room makeover, the room she felt she would most benefit from after being diagnosed with ALS, was her bedroom. Cheryl’s makeover and Reveal will tentatively take place in April and we can’t wait to create a haven for Cheryl and her husband.

MHP is about bringing a community of friends and family together to show their love and support for the chosen recipient. Cheryl’s bedroom is quite large and working within a tight budget, we need to get as much bang for our buck as possible, and so we need your help! If you can help with any of the following, please comment below, tag someone you think might be able to help, or PM us. It takes a village to pull this together but with your help, it will be a lot of fun and mean the world to Cheryl and her family.

Needed:

Monetary donations: Please use this link if you are able to help with the purchasing of the items needed for the room: https://myhappyplaces.org/donations/donation-form-cheryl-fleming/ For those wishing to Venmo, use: -Happy-Place444. It's under Business (not non-profit). We will update as the requests are fulfilled.

*VINYL FLOORING is our greatest need. For health reasons, carpet is not an option. This will be the biggest expense so if someone is willing to discount or donate, this would be a huge benefit and savings for us. The Mauch/Porter family has graciously offered to do the install. We are still in need of the vinyl flooring.
*PAINTER and PAINT - Supreme Painting has kindly offered to take care of this big task. Thank you Nathan Ure!
*Fresh FLOWERS - Libby Degen has offered - thank you Libby
*LUNCH for volunteers the day the room is put together – this greatly helps so the volunteers don’t have to stop and go out to eat - Carolyn Hough has offered - thank you! Abie Jess has offered to bringing a home-cooked meal for the family the day of the Reveal.
*CAKE/CUPCAKES for the Reveal was offered by Kennadie Machovec - thank you Kennadie!
*HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS for 2 nights while the family is out of their home during the makeover process - Crossroads Hotel & Event has graciously offered - Thank you!
*RESTAURANT GIFT CERTIFICATES to assist the family while they are booted out of their home - Sara Condon Scharf has graciously offered to do this - thank you Sara!
*VOLUNTEERS – to help with assembly, putting the room together, clean-up as that’s continual the day of the makeover or you just want to be a part of the exciting process. - Offered so far: Carolyn Hough, Nichole Mannel McElroy, Laura Sanchez, Laurie Kiliper-Wagner, Julie Berte, Janet Berte, Keely Gunderson, Sandi Gangstead, Dena Sample Sheffield,
*Paulette Nordstrom Shelby Heddinger has offered to host the family for a dinner in their home so the family can get out of the hotel. Thank you for this kind offer!

MEET CHERYL…
My name is Cheryl Fleming. My husband, Matt, and I live in Fort Dodge and we have two wonderful twins, Claire and Cooper.
May 1st, 2024 was a life-changing day for myself and my family. That was the day I was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive terminal neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. With no known cure and a gradual loss of muscle control and function the average survival time is 2-5 years.

The journey to receiving an ALS diagnosis was long and arduous. I underwent numerous tests, consultations, and medical procedures. During each visit to Mayo Clinic, I was accompanied by my children, spouse, or friends. The day I finally received my diagnosis I will always remember asking the doctor “ok, what do we do from here?” I was ready to fight this disease. His response was “take a multi vitamin and whatever you planned to do when you retired start doing it tomorrow.”

At that moment it felt like the world had stopped. I had so many plans, all I could think of was leaving my husband and kids way too soon. This was not the plan! My twins are 23 years old, although adults, were still so young. So many chapters in their lives I was going to miss out on.

Matt and I had wonderful plans for retirement and “growing old together” Now he was going to be thrown into being my caretaker and our dreams of retirement forever altered.

The first month or so there were a lot of tears, tears of sadness and uncertainty, uncertainty because ALS robs you of independence as it chooses, so you grieve each loss as it happens, never knowing when or what will be taken next.

I focused on finding ways for my family and I to accept this situation and regain the strength to enjoy life again. My strength was realized in all the loving family and friends that supported me during these hard days.

I understood more than ever that time is not guaranteed, it was time to make my days count. ALS has also provided me with blessings that many of us take for granted most days:

· After my diagnosis both of my kids moved back home (my biggest blessing)
· I have time to love people and let them know how much they mean to me. Many people never get that opportunity.
· We hung a “fun” calendar on our wall. We always make sure we have something planned, time with our friends, a movie, game night, something to look forward to.
· That worrying is a waste of precious time.
· That holding on to anger is a waste of peace.

As we began to adjust to our new reality, we had to make significant changes in our daily lives. Simple tasks that were once taken for granted now required careful planning and assistance. We adapted our home to accommodate my changing needs, installing ramps, grab bars, and other accessibility features. These modifications were necessary to maintain a sense of independence and safety.

The impact of ALS extended beyond the physical changes. Emotionally and psychologically, we faced an ongoing battle. Coping with the progressive nature of the disease demanded resilience, patience, and a strong support system. We sought out counseling and joined support groups to connect with others who were going through similar experiences. Sharing our journey with others provided solace and strength, reminding us that we were not alone.

I am so excited and grateful for Kara and the wonderful volunteers of “My Happy Place” to help create a peaceful place that I can enjoy. It’s in big, capital letters on my “fun” calendar.

06/04/2024

Thank you, KCCI, for making Breanna’s bedroom Reveal even more special with your excellent coverage. Sleep well, Breanna in your beautiful new bedroom!

With her own LED fireplace, decked-out vanity and plenty of faith-based signage all around the room, the Iowa teen now has her own dream bedroom.

06/02/2024

We had a fantastic day today at Breanna’s room reveal. She was so excited to see her room. I think designer, Kara Ocenasek really captured Breanna’s vision for this room. I thinks she will rest comfortably tonight and really enjoy her new room.

We were very excited to have the Fort Dodge Messenger, as well as KCCI present this morning to cover Breanna’s story! What an honor!!

I want to thank everyone who came to the reveal. Including Breanna’s family and friends, representation from “100 Women Who Care,” Kathy Nash and Marti Doyle (They made this room possible by donating the money to fund the makeover), Koch fertilizer, Shannon McKennie and Logan Terranova ( Koch has given us generous donations on the last two rooms and also put in labor and time to make this makeover successful), Dana Oswald (donated paint, supplies, painted the whole room, as well as help decorate), and Ethan, Ashlyn, Brooklyn Swisher who nominated Breanna for this room makeover.

Breanna’s Story:

Hi my name is Breanna Bethke. In August of 2023 I became very sick with many different symptoms ranging from; high fever, migraines, body aches, hot and cold sweats, barely keeping any food down, and constant fatigue. I was taken into the walk-in clinic once and the emergency room 3 times until the final time they finally said I’d be transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital down in Des Moines. I barely remember arriving, but after that I was induced into a coma to slow down whatever was going on with my body. By this point is where they diagnosed me with a rare autoimmune disease called HLH or in medical terms called Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis. HLH is either genetic or triggered. HLH puts your body into fight or flight mode in which my natural killer cells were hyperactive and tried to fight even the good cells. Most cases HLH is found in TK cells but for me it was found in my NK cells. After I woke up they explained what was going on and that I would need to do chemotherapy and would have to have a picc line in my arm. At this time I was only 90 pounds, in which two weeks later they decided to put in a feeding tube since I had barely gained any weight. Roughly three weeks later I was finally at a healthy weight in which they did remove the feeding tube in hopes I would continue to maintain the weight on my own. By this point we were now trying to put together a game plan to now get rid of the HLH since I would end up being off chemo soon. By coming up with this plan I had to meet a doctor down in Cincinnati, Ohio who only specializes in HLH. In most cases of HLH you would go through chemo and then onto a bone marrow transplant, but in recent years they have been testing this infusion called navolbeabe in which it hadn’t been approved with the FDA. So far there with this infusion there have been amazing outcomes, so that’s what our hopes for. We were approved, so my picc line was removed since I would be receiving these infusions every three weeks. I had started the navolbeabe a few weeks later and it wasn’t exactly what we had expected, but it was still bringing the virus down which was all that mattered. Then finally in January they said that the virus is just on its own track but that the HLH part was done for. They decided to take me off the navolbeabe and just monitor the virus and my labs. They told me that there wasn’t necessarily a point to do a bone marrow transplant if all my labs look good, even though the virus is there.Especially since the virus currently is doing no harm. So in all aspects I may never need a bone marrow transplant or I may need one in the future. That all depends on what the virus wants to do. As of today my labs look amazing and the virus dropped even more, but we still have a ways to go. This disease is very rare and most doctors don’t know hardly anything about it unless they’ve learned about it, which is why it took so long to discover it. I was very lucky that they did transfer me to Blanks and that I had gotten the doctor that I didn’t because she had knowledge of it.

Designer: Kara Ocenasek

This room was fully funded by “100 Women Who Care” and by Koch Fertilizer. We are so grateful for their generosity.

Photographer for Breanna’s Headshots for the articles: Emily Stucky

Photographer for room makeover pictures : Chantelle Heiskell

Outfit donated for the reveal: Katie Lynn Botique

Hotel rooms May 30-June 2, for the family to stay during room makeover: Best Western

Construction: Doyle Construction donated fireplace and shiplap and labor to install both

Ceiling fan installation and electrical outlets : Baker Electric

Cookies: for the reveal: Karhyn Acantara / Sydney Pokorny

Punch for the reveal: Sydney Pokorny

Food for volunteers Friday, May 31: Koch Fertilizer

Put furniture together, put up blinds, curtains-Koch Fertilizer

Volunteers May 31: Koch Fertilizer/ Dana Oswald

Painter and Paint: Dana Oswald painter / Oswald Farms providing the Paint

Floor installation: Cooper Floor Covering

Flooring discount: Copper Floor Covering

Scentsy donation: Christi Witte

Wall Hanging: The Sign Dealer, Amy Potts

Decorating and cleanup- Stacy Carter

Helped put furniture together and lawn work - Andy Ocenasek

Thank you everyone who donated money to Breanna. This money will go directly to her.
Steve Sanford $100
Jessica Knox $100
Tina Hergenreter $50
Nichole Fritts $100
Mary Parsons $50
Pamela Dolan $100
Tabatha Acree $100
Amanda Baker $100
Jamie Lunn $100
Andrea Stromberg $100
Britteny Eslick $100
Heidi Schlegel $500
Sydney Pokorny $250
Victoria Daniel- $$

05/31/2024

UPDATE ON TIME SUNDAY FOR REVEAL 10:00am

We are so excited Breana’s bedroom reveal is on Sunday, June 2 at 10:00.
They are staying in a hotel room tonight -Sunday.
If anyone is interested in donating food for them during their stay, please reach message us or Kara Ocenasek. They would really appreciate it.

04/08/2024

UPDATE ON TIME 1000 am

We are excited to announce we have a reveal date for Breanna’s room. It will be Sunday, June 2 at 1000.
It is so exciting to have Kara Ocenasek makeover her room, since she was a room recipient herself. What an amazing way to to give back.

Hi my name is Breanna Bethke. In August of 2023 I became very sick with many different symptoms ranging from; high fever, migraines, body aches, hot and cold sweats, barely keeping any food down, and constant fatigue. I was taken into the walk-in clinic once and the emergency room 3 times until the final time they finally said I’d be transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital down in Des Moines. I barely remember arriving, but after that I was induced into a coma to slow down whatever was going on with my body. By this point is where they diagnosed me with a rare autoimmune disease called HLH or in medical terms called Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis. HLH is either genetic or triggered. HLH puts your body into fight or flight mode in which my natural killer cells were hyperactive and tried to fight even the good cells. Most cases HLH is found in TK cells but for me it was found in my NK cells. After I woke up they explained what was going on and that I would need to do chemotherapy and would have to have a picc line in my arm. At this time I was only 90 pounds, in which two weeks later they decided to put in a feeding tube since I had barely gained any weight. Roughly three weeks later I was finally at a healthy weight in which they did remove the feeding tube in hopes I would continue to maintain the weight on my own. By this point we were now trying to put together a game plan to now get rid of the HLH since I would end up being off chemo soon. By coming up with this plan I had to meet a doctor down in Cincinnati, Ohio who only specializes in HLH. In most cases of HLH you would go through chemo and then onto a bone marrow transplant, but in recent years they have been testing this infusion called navolbeabe in which it hadn’t been approved with the FDA. So far there with this infusion there have been amazing outcomes, so that’s what our hopes for. We were approved, so my picc line was removed since I would be receiving these infusions every three weeks. I had started the navolbeabe a few weeks later and it wasn’t exactly what we had expected, but it was still bringing the virus down which was all that mattered. Then finally in January they said that the virus is just on its own track but that the HLH part was done for. They decided to take me off the navolbeabe and just monitor the virus and my labs. They told me that there wasn’t necessarily a point to do a bone marrow transplant if all my labs look good, even though the virus is there.Especially since the virus currently is doing no harm. So in all aspects I may never need a bone marrow transplant or I may need one in the future. That all depends on what the virus wants to do. As of today my labs look amazing and the virus dropped even more, but we still have a ways to go. This disease is very rare and most doctors don’t know hardly anything about it unless they’ve learned about it, which is why it took so long to discover it. I was very lucky that they did transfer me to Blanks and that I had gotten the doctor that I didn’t because she had knowledge of it

This room is being fully funded by “100 Women Who Care” and by Koch Fertilizer. We are so grateful for their generosity.

Photographer for Reveal: Chantelle Heiskell

Outfit donated for the reveal: Katie Lynn Botique

We still have some thing we could use some help with:

Hotel roomsMay 30-June 2, for the family to stay while we makeover the room: Best Western

Construction: Doyle Construction

Electrician Ceiling Fan and new electrical outlet: Baker Electric

Cupcakes / cookies: for the reveal: Karhyn Acantara / Sydney Pokorny

Punch for the reveal: Sydney Pokorny

Water for the reveal: Heather Stewart

Food for volunteers Friday, May 31: Koch Fertilizer

Food for volunteers Saturday, June 1:

Volunteers to help put furniture together Saturday June 1:

Volunteers May 31: Koch Fertilizer

Volunteers June 1: Christen Hoffman

Painter and Paint: Dana Oswald painter / Oswald Farms providing the Paint

Floor installation: Cooper Floor Covering

Flooring discount: Copper Floor Covering

Scentsy donation: Christi Witte

Wall Hanging: The Sign Dealer, Amy Potts

We still have a link for Breana. All the proceeds raised for Breanna will go directly to her and medical expenses she has incurred and will incur. She is such a beautiful soul. She has spent her whole life taking care of others, we are so excited to be able to take care of her.

https://myhappyplaces.org/donations/donate-to-breannas-room-makeover-today/

Steve Sanford $100
Jessica Knox $100
Tina Hergenreter $50
Nichole Fritts $100
Mary Parsons $50
Pamela Dolan $100
Tabatha Acree $100
Amanda Baker $100
Jamie Lunn $100
Andrea Stromberg $100
Britteny Eslick $100
Heidi Schlegel $500
Sydney Pokorny $250
Victoria Daniel $200

03/29/2024