Mural At Towson Restaurant Sends Message To Boy Battling Cancer

TOWSON, MD — There's a new look for Kerb, the Persian-American-Turkish restaurant in Towson. This week its East Chesapeake Avenue exterior became a canvas for a fish mural that has special significance for a local fifth grader.

Andrew Mercier, who lives in Knollwood, was diagnosed with leukemia around Easter. Soon after, his neighbors began hanging carp windsocks, in part encouraged by Knollwood Association President David Riley, who put out a call for the community to display them in the boy's honor.

Traditionally flown in Japan on Children's Day in May to bring good fortune to children, the windsocks feature carp because it is known as a "strong spirited fish" that fights upstream.

"Let's unite as a neighborhood in a show of solidarity for Andrew with this timeless symbol of communal hope that Knollwood's children will remain strong, healthy, and resilient," Riley posted on the Knollwood Association Facebook page in the spring.

Since then, the carp windsocks have appeared in neighborhoods far and wide.

"It has reached both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific," Riley reported this week. "In Knollwood, no one goes upstream alone."

Andrew, a fifth grader at Stoneleigh Elementary School, is currently in the hospital undergoing CAR T-cell therapy, a treatment in which the patient receives an infusion of cells engineered to identify and kill cancer cells.

He began the therapy Wednesday, Oct. 2, according to the blog his mother has been updating to share his progress in the hospital. The treatment comes as he prepares for an operation. In early November, he is slated to receive a bone marrow transplant.

At the same time as Andrew is receiving his targeted regimen at the hospital, an artist has been transforming the walls of Kerb in Towson into a message of hope that he will see upon his return.

"The Koi Fish Public Mural, inspired by Knollwood’s own Andrew Mercier is happening now!!" the Knollwood Association reported Wednesday, Oct. 2.

Towson artist Theresa Foggo painted the mural, and her work has drawn the attention of local officials.

"Today, I visited Towson's Kerb restaurant where artists are painting a koi mural in honor of a young boy, Andrew, undergoing medical procedures," Councilman David Marks posted on his Facebook page Wednesday, thanking the community partners for making the work possible.

The mural is being paid for by an anonymous donor, according to Fox 45, which reported the artwork is expected to be finished by the week's end.

Those who would like to send notes of encouragement may do so at this address: Andrew Mercier, P.O. Box 20209, Towson, MD 21284.

Kerb is at 9 East Chesapeake Avenue in Towson.

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