Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon is not only in town for this week’s three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Maddon and his wife Jaye celebrated the opening of two renovated pediatric outpatient treatment rooms at Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa on Tuesday. The couple’s Respect 90 Foundation funded the project, which brightened up the rooms to make them more inviting for children who are treated at the facility. 

“They were a little old school where the equipment was on display when you walked in, and with this makeover you know, it disguises some of the more daunting and scarier equipment and it’s in a very light and fun atmosphere,” said Chris Kiser, chief development officer with the Banner Health Foundation.

The hospital, near U.S. 60 and Dobson Road, is operated by Banner Health.

One room is jungle themed and the other, you guessed it, baseball themed. 

“The end result is something that’s going to be very impactful for the kids here for many years to come,” said Joe Maddon, who lived in Mesa for about 20 years when he was a scout and minor league manager for the California Angels.

The Maddons, along with hospital patients and staff gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting Tuesday afternoon.

Ethan Selleroli, 16, is being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“To me it means more than I can say, I’m at a loss for words right now because it’s way more cool to come into this treatment room,” he said.

“It does actually help us patients, when we come in, feel more comfortable and not feel so isolated and so scared, as hospitals are meant to be,” said 20-year-old Anthony Vega, who is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

After the ribbon was cut, Vega got to talking with Maddon. He complimented the manager’s button-down blue-and-pink-striped shirt, so Madden let him keep it.

“I told him I liked it and he said, ‘I’ll give it to you, just find me a shirt,'” Vega said.

The hospital’s toy closet also was renovated and painted. Cubs pitcher Pierce Johnson and catcher Taylor Davis donated the funds for that project.

The Respect 90 Foundation provides support for children undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer and allocates grants to non-profit organizations, according to a news release. 

The foundation helps communities the Maddons call home: Mesa — where the Cubs conduct spring training — Chicago, Tampa and Hazelton, Pennsylvania, which is Joe Maddon’s hometown, the news release said.

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