Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
on ABC
By Ally Matteodo
The theme of volunteerism
continues on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which aired at on
Sunday, May 30th (8:00 p.m. ET), and represents the Best TV
Show of the Week. This episode focuses on the Stott Family of Lean,
Illinois. The matriarch and patriarch of the family, Joey and Phillip, own a
small sheep farm and made it one of their goals to live in a sustainable way
with the environment. They bought a 112 year old house and were able to make a
living selling wool and vegetables at their farm stand. However, tragedy struck
when Joey was diagnosed with leukemia. Her chance of survival seemed slim until
she received a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor. Things began to
improve until the ancient wiring in their house exploded, setting the house on
fire. The Stott family moved into their camper and worried about what would
happen once winter hit. Their insurance would only cover the damage to the home
caused by the fire, but this still left the problems of the mold and mildew
which could wreak havoc on Joey’s delicate immune system. Ty Pennington and his
team of designers come to the rescue, with the aid of Joey’s bone marrow donor
Tom Wilhelm and celebrity guest David Duchovny. The Stott’s are sent on
vacation to San Francisco, California, while Ty and his team work their magic,
tearing down the old house and constructing a new, green home with the
assistance of Hasken construction. Once the Stott’s return Joey and Phillip and
their three children, Kaila (18), Jon (16), and Michael (15), could not be
happier with their lovely new home and bright future.
The team turns the Stott’s
dream of living a sustainable existence into a reality with the green home they
construct. Complete with geothermal systems to aid in warming and cooling the
house, a water storage tank to catch rain water, and a windmill, the house uses
nature to power itself, something that ideally every house should incorporate.
In addition, this episode emphasizes the fragility of life. Tom Wilhelm, the
selfless donor who saved Joey’s life through his bone marrow, claims that giving
his marrow is the least he could do—but the designer Paige Hemmis points out
that saying no is the least he could have done. His humility and giving nature
make him a true hero, and in an attempt to encourage more people to potentially
serve as life-savers, a bone marrow drive is hosted in Joey’s name. All it
takes is a simple cotton swab in the mouth, and then people are entered into a
database to link up donors and potential recipients. Tom Wilhelm not only saved
Joey’s life, he served to save her husband and children’s life as well, who
revel in her presence and love her to pieces. Once again, Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition will leave you with tears of joy in your eyes at humanity’s
potential for generosity and love.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
