Ella Joe Schultz of Raymore, Missouri is battling leukemia
The Make-A-Wish Foundation asked what she would like and she asked for a ‘barn-style’ playhouse
The local homeowners association said no, claiming that the request violated covenants
They’ve since said they are committed to working with Make-A-Wish ‘to see if we can figure out a way to make Ella’s wish come true’
The parents of a young girl with leukemia who want to build their daughter an outdoor playhouse have 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 told The Kansas City Star. ‘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 Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses, contacted Ella Joe’s parent offering to grant a wish to Ella.
The young girl said she wanted a playhouse and at first everything seemed to be going well. The shingles of the house were even going to match the ones throughout the neighborhood.
But the homeowners association said no.
‘The proposed plan they’ve given us is a violation of our covenants,’ Stonegate HOA board president Stacy Bayers told.
The homeowners group has since published 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.
One local man has even offered via Ella Joe’s GoFundMe page to put her playhouse in his yard.
As this plays out, Ella Joe has been in the hospital fighting complications from her cancer.
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.
