Community Surprises Boy with Tree House
A group of Ocean Springs residents came to the aid of a young boy battling muscular dystrophy. They put their hands and their hearts into building a customized tree house just for him. The tree house came as a complete surprise to nine-year-old Cooper Clower of Ocean Springs.
Nine-year-old Cooper Clower, diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, had two long term wishes in life: a tree house and a trip to the Bahamas. Recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted one of those wishes, giving Cooper and his entire family a trip to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. “I got to go in the lazy river and ride down rapids. I also got to go fishing and catch a wahoo,” said Cooper.
But the surprises didn’t stop there. After hearing Cooper’s story, Ocean Springs resident Mark Kunz felt the young boy fighting through such an exhausting disease should have one more reason to smile. “I saw where he got the trip but he didn’t get the tree house. I decided I was going to go ahead and do it for him.”
Kunz went straight to work, gathering as many volunteers and supplies as possible to help make Cooper’s second wish come true. While Cooper and his family were away on vacation, the group of volunteers worked on the tree house day and night, eager to have it completed by the time the family returned home.
Ten to 15 volunteers agreed to help put this project together. The tree house, officially named Cooper’s Coop, is customized specifically toward Cooper’s needs. Cooper’s mother, Heather Clower, said, “He’ll be able to walk up the ramp or if he needs his wheelchair one day, he’ll be able to go up and do what he loves to do.”
Since the surprise, Cooper’s spent many hours exploring his new tree house with his younger brother and sister. “I like that I can put chairs in it and eat lunch and watch for deer,” said Cooper.
Cooper’s mom tells New 25 there are no words to describe just how special the community made her son feel. “Everyone wants their child to feel special and Mr. Mark did that for him.”
Although the project is now complete, Kunz doesn’t plan to leave Cooper’s side anytime soon. “I got a pal for life now. I don’t live very far from here and I’ll be checking on him regularly.”
In addition to the tree house, Kunz purchased plenty of toys for Cooper as well, such as a telescope and walky-talkies.
Nine-year-old Cooper Clower, diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, had two long term wishes in life: a tree house and a trip to the Bahamas. Recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted one of those wishes, giving Cooper and his entire family a trip to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. “I got to go in the lazy river and ride down rapids. I also got to go fishing and catch a wahoo,” said Cooper.
But the surprises didn’t stop there. After hearing Cooper’s story, Ocean Springs resident Mark Kunz felt the young boy fighting through such an exhausting disease should have one more reason to smile. “I saw where he got the trip but he didn’t get the tree house. I decided I was going to go ahead and do it for him.”
Kunz went straight to work, gathering as many volunteers and supplies as possible to help make Cooper’s second wish come true. While Cooper and his family were away on vacation, the group of volunteers worked on the tree house day and night, eager to have it completed by the time the family returned home.
Ten to 15 volunteers agreed to help put this project together. The tree house, officially named Cooper’s Coop, is customized specifically toward Cooper’s needs. Cooper’s mother, Heather Clower, said, “He’ll be able to walk up the ramp or if he needs his wheelchair one day, he’ll be able to go up and do what he loves to do.”
Since the surprise, Cooper’s spent many hours exploring his new tree house with his younger brother and sister. “I like that I can put chairs in it and eat lunch and watch for deer,” said Cooper.
Cooper’s mom tells New 25 there are no words to describe just how special the community made her son feel. “Everyone wants their child to feel special and Mr. Mark did that for him.”
Although the project is now complete, Kunz doesn’t plan to leave Cooper’s side anytime soon. “I got a pal for life now. I don’t live very far from here and I’ll be checking on him regularly.”
In addition to the tree house, Kunz purchased plenty of toys for Cooper as well, such as a telescope and walky-talkies.
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