Glen Ellyn Girl With Rare Form of Leukemia Gets Bedroom Makeover

Photo Credit: Special Spaces Facebook page

A Glen Ellyn girl suffering from a rare form of leukemia now has her own special space to feel at home in after a Chicagoland non-profit gave her bedroom a makeover.

Ashley Woltman, 11, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, type PDGFRB-EBF1, which is an illness only three other children across the world have, according to Suburban Life Publications. Ashley is described as caring and determined and she volunteers with the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors to help rescue migratory birds, according to the Special Spaces Facebook page.

Woltman’s mom, Sandy Woltman, contacted Special Spaces Special to see if they could transform Ashley’s bedroom, which had a majority of its items from the 1970s, into a cool, hang-out for her pre-teen, the newspaper reports. Special Spaces is a non-profit organization that provides bedroom makeovers to children with life-threatening illnesses throughout the Chicago area.

Special Spaces responded and set up a date to renovate Ashley’s room while the Land of Nod agreed to donate all of the furniture for the renovations. On Sept. 26, a team of 21 volunteers worked on Ashley’s bedroom, which included an adjoining playroom that Woltman’s kids had been afraid to go into, for 10 hours, according to Suburban Life Publications.

Ashley said her new room is “awesome” and Ashley’s parents said the makeover has helped to allow Ashley, who had been afraid to sleep in her bedroom, get some shut eye in her new environment, Suburban Life Publications reports.

• Read more on Suburban Life Publications -- Learn more about Special Spaces on the organization’s website