For three weeks, Shane Hammer received progress pictures from his new backyard project. It wasn’t a pool or a patio he kept checking on as he sat in an Oklahoma City hospital.

It was a playhouse, one that Oklahoma State University students were hard at work on as a special surprise for Shane’s 6-year-old daughter, Alaina Hammer.

Shane and his wife, Sarah, watched their daughter undergo a round of stem cell treatments following many rounds of chemotherapy.

Meanwhile, the little playhouse was taking shape back home in Perkins, Oklahoma.

Alaina’s parents and her older sister, Scarlett, knew what was waiting for them when they left the hospital, but Alaina had no idea. And when she arrived home from Oklahoma City, the little playhouse became so much more.

“It was just nice knowing that there were people who wanted to make Alaina feel good,” Shane said.

In February, Alaina had been diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma. Five rounds of chemotherapy followed in the spring, then surgery in June to remove a substantial portion of the tumor. She underwent stem cell transplants in July and September.

At the time the project was underway, the family had spent 93 nights in the hospital that year. Alaina was responding well to treatment, and the family remains optimistic about the next steps in her treatment journey.

Shane said the doctors and nurses caring for Alaina gave them hope for her healing. Meanwhile, he said the playhouse offered a different kind of comfort and reminded them that, even while they were away, people back home were thinking about their daughter.

The family had previously connected with Cowboys vs. Cancer, an Eddie Sutton Foundation initiative that raises money for cancer research, supports families and honors survivors across OSU athletics.

“Alaina was able to throw out one of the first pitches at a softball game and things like that,” Shane said. “Then, they reached out to us about the construction group wanting to do this for somebody, and they thought Alaina would be a great fit.

“Our family's reaction was pretty big because we had not had something like that for Alaina, even before we found out about her diagnosis. We knew that it would be something that she would really find a lot of joy in if they were able to do that for her. So we were really excited about it.”

Most of the students had never met Alaina, but the idea started with Cade Tiffany, a sophomore in OSU’s Construction Management Society. The student group undertakes a philanthropic project each semester, and Tiffany thought its members could put the construction skills they learned in the School of Fire, Construction and Emergency Management to work to help a child in need.

He had a good example to follow. Family friend Jay Cobb, a childhood cancer survivor, had involved Tiffany and his father in projects for families facing cancer. Tiffany called Cobb, who connected him with the Eddie Sutton Foundation. Through the foundation, the students found the Hammer family.

Tiffany thought about his own little sister and cousin. What would it mean if someone did something like this for them?

“I wanted to give them a little bit of happiness through a hard storm in their life right now,” he said.

Planning began in the spring and continued through summer meetings. There was a design to settle on, materials to obtain and money to raise. According to Tiffany, support from Manhattan Construction, Google and the Eddie Sutton Foundation brought the fundraising total to about $6,500.

The students originally planned to build sections in OSU’s construction lab within the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, haul them to Perkins and assemble the playhouse in the backyard. They wanted to avoid adding a construction site to a family’s already complicated life.

Then, Shane told them Alaina would be in the hospital for three weeks. That meant they could build in the backyard while she was away and have the surprise waiting when she came home.

So the construction crew solved a logistical hurdle but added a tight deadline. What had been roughly two months to build became three weeks.

Cole Love helped lead the construction, drawing on experience with Habitat for Humanity. A playhouse might be small, but framing and siding still take work. So does finding hours that seven full-time students with jobs can share.

“We worked until sunset most nights and then worked every weekend,” Love said.

Tiffany estimated that around 10 students contributed about 482 service hours across the project, including planning and obtaining materials. Some students put in 13-hour days.

Kate Myers, Construction Management Society member and president of OSU’s Women in Construction, admitted she was initially concerned they might not be able to pull it off in time for Alaina’s arrival. It was a big undertaking with a lot of little pieces, but the team was there to support each other.

“In our construction engineering program, we have requirements for internships throughout every summer, so we have pretty advanced skills for our age, especially in construction,” Myers said. “So we wanted to do something a little bit bigger and a little bit more specialized because we thought, ‘Man, we have this gift, and we have this opportunity.’”

Women in Construction helped with design, paint selection and gifts. Myers wondered what color to paint the playhouse. Alaina’s favorite color is purple, so that settled that. But with so many details to consider, the project went right down to the wire.

The students planned furniture, toys, curtains and battery-powered lamps, along with a porch bench, flower planters and a hummingbird feeder. There were gifts for Scarlett and even a few goodies for the parents, such as gift cards and a cooler.

For Shane, an OSU assistant professor whose work focuses on applied exercise science, the project joined a broader circle of support for Alaina and the Hammer family. Shane said colleagues and students have checked in and stepped up when he needed to be with Alaina and the girls’ school community in Perkins organized T-shirt sales and other events.

“The number of people that have stepped up for us has been just huge,” Shane said. “We didn’t know these kids. They didn't know me before this. They're doing this because they're great people, and I think that for Sarah, me and for Alaina’s older sister, seeing that happen throughout the process has been really reassuring — to know we're all here for each other.”

When Alaina came home and saw the playhouse, Shane could see her joy.

Not wanting to interfere with Alaina’s homecoming, the OSU students opted to let that moment belong to the family. But a photograph of the moment did make its way to the club’s group chat.

Myers remembered looking at it with the realization that their work had made that moment possible. Love was still trying to find words for it.

“I hadn’t even met her yet, and she had already made a huge difference and impact in my life,” he said.

On Oct. 7, the OSU Construction Management Society students returned to the Hammer house to dedicate the playhouse with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Eddie Sutton Foundation co-president Larry Reece was also in attendance. A cancer survivor himself, Reece said the Eddie Sutton Foundation was honored to play a small part.

“These kids did a great job and really poured their hearts and souls into it,” Reece said. “Any time we can help provide a distraction for a cancer-fighting kid and their families, we are all about it. That’s what the Cowboy Code is all about. We help our friends and neighbors. And I know when you’re going through treatment, you want to know that people love and care for you, and you also need distractions. And OSU Athletics, in partnership with The Eddie Sutton Foundation, is a great distraction.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Love said he hoped that they could make a difference, and he feels like they accomplished that mission.

Tiffany saw the work as a way to live out the Cowboy Code, and they want that work to continue. Myers said they’re already looking for another opportunity to build.

“There’s no better way than to give back to the community that gives to us,” Tiffany said.

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