Make-A-Wish provides tree house for girl who is allergic to the sun

Trish Hartman Image
Friday, June 1, 2018
Make a wish builds tree house for girl allergic to sunshine
Make a wish builds tree house for girl allergic to sunshine: Trish Hartman reports on Action News at 10 p.m., May 31, 2018

WAYNE, Pennsylvania -- In the Ettingoff family's backyard in Wayne, Pennsylvania, a blue tarp covered a special surprise for 4-year-old Kaia.

Kaia has a rare autoimmune disorder. She is allergic to the sun, and if it is left untreated, it can affect her muscles and her ability to walk.

"She goes through treatments once a week at CHOP, and then once a month she has a 10-hour treatment called IVIG at CHOP," said Dave Ettingoff, Kaia's dad.

So when the Make-a-Wish Foundation asked Kaia what she wanted, she did not hesitate.

"With the tree house, she avoids the sun," Ettigngoff said. "And it's really the perfect thing for her."

The labor and materials were donated by EDA contractors, who say designing something with a zipline and a climbing wall was a nice change of pace.

"We're used to doing buildings and now we're doing a treehouse," said Tony Melle, of EDA Construction. "It was really nice to do this and the little girl has been so grateful and she has just been wonderful. I hope she enjoys it."

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