Homeowners group denies playhouse for cancer-stricken girl
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The parents of a young girl with leukemia want to build their daughter a playhouse, but they’ve been blocked by their homeowners association.
Pete and Jennifer Schultz, who live in the Kansas City, Missouri, suburb of Raymore, say they need the playhouse for their 6-year-old daughter, Ella Joe, because her health keeps her from playing with other children.
“She’s earned this — she deserves it,” Pete Schultz said. “She can’t get out and play with other kids. This playhouse is what she would have. Is it really going to hurt someone?”
The homeowners group released a statement on its website, saying the proposal for a “barn-style” playhouse was denied because it didn’t have enough details to merit an exemption.
“Our hearts are with Ella Schultz and her family as they battle this terrible illness,” it read.
The Stonegate of the Good Ranch is committed to working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation “to see if we can figure out a way to make Ella’s wish come true,” and the group has requested additional information from the charity and a construction company that has committed to building the play house.
An email to the homeowners association from The Associated Press seeking further comment wasn’t immediately returned.
As this plays out, Ella Joe has been in the hospital fighting complications from her cancer. University of Kansas Hospital spokesman Bob Hallinan confirmed that she remained in the hospital Thursday afternoon.
The Schultz’s neighbors have rallied around the family before, including last year, when after spending several months in the hospital, Ella Joe came home to a neighborhood parade.