Girl Scouts Build ‘Magic’ Playhouse for Girl Who Had a Heart Transplant

Hannah Mae Campbell is a very lucky girl, or very unlucky, depending on how you look at it. She’s the only known survivor of Diffuse Rhabdomyomatosis, a disease that causes tumors to grow in your heart.
Girl Scouts Build ‘Magic’ Playhouse for Girl Who Had a Heart Transplant
Jonathan Zhou
Updated:

Hannah Mae Campbell is a very lucky girl ... or very unlucky, depending on how you look at it. 

She’s the only known survivor of Diffuse Rhabdomyomatosis, a disease that causes tumors to grow in your heart. 

After dozens of blood transfusions and multiple surgeries, Hannah finally received a heart transplant when she was just 4 months old. 

She’s now 4 years old, but is still hampered by the disease. A weak immune system means that daily tasks like going to the grocery store, or visiting friends, can be dangerous for Hannah. 

When Girl Scout Troop 44017 heard about Hannah’s story, they decided to help. They had been looking to do a service project for someone who had an low-immunity issue. 

“She told them she loved to cook fake food and garden and plant flowers and her favorite color was orange,” Hannah’s mother told ABC News. “These girls went into action. They were doing fundraising to raise all this money themselves.”

(Good Morning America/Facebook)
Good Morning America/Facebook

Four days before Hannah’s birthday, the girl scouts came in and assembled the playhouse in the family’s backyard. The playhouse featured a door bell, fake food, and and a picnic table. 

“Her imagination is just going to work,” Hannah’s mother said. “She’s has just been absolutely in love with this playhouse. It’s just been amazing. She doesn’t want to leave.”

The girl scouts and Hannah bonded while making the playhouse, and she was invited to their “bridging” ceremony, where they graduate from junior to cadet girl scouts. 

“They’re going to walk her across the bridge and then present her with the sweatshirt on the other side,” said Amber Johnson, a scout troop leader. “From the beginning, they always wanted to make her an honorary Girl Scout. They adore her and we’re really excited.”

Hannah had made them thank-you cards for the occasion. 

Jonathan Zhou
Jonathan Zhou
Author
Jonathan Zhou is a tech reporter who has written about drones, artificial intelligence, and space exploration.
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