Extreme Makeover
Home Edition

Payless Closets is extremely proud of being involved with this project. When asked to get involved with this project, we set out to help someone in need in our community but it became so much more than just helping a family, it become a team effort by the entire community.

Razing a home and building a completely new one from the foundation up in no more than seven days is hardly a reasonable venture. Trying to accomplish this kind of a task with a home that bears narrow streets leading to tight quarters and steep grades is nearly impossible. The builders (De Nova Homes in Pleasant Hill, CA – www.denovahomes.com) used a vacant lot and neighbors' yards and driveways to deliver materials to the site. Two large excavators demolished the existing structure in less than an hour and moved 600 yards of material 200 hundred feet down the hillside. The use of a helicopter airlifted and placed the roof trusses, and a large crane resting in the backyard assisted. A cement truck with a large boom extended over a neighbors house to pour the foundation.

This projected lasted from December 8 th through the 15 th. The crew from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" www.abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/ granted the ultimate gift to Martinez family, Karen, Jhyrve (pronounce "Ger-Vay") and Lucas Sears. As was the objective behind "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's" commitment to changing the life of a family in need, the Sears have had a very challenging year facing the diagnosis of Jhyrve's rare genetic disorder, Krabbe Disease.

The Sears Family

Here is their story:

Until a year ago, the life of the Sears family was nothing out of the ordinary. Mom, Karen Sears, and her children, daughter Jhyrve and son Lucas lived together in Martinez, California. However, their lives changed in February 2004 when Jhyrve was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Krabbe Disease. With the knowledge that death usually occurs within two years of diagnosis, Jhyrve accompanied by her mother, relocated to North Carolina to undergo a life-saving blood transplant at Duke University. Since her April 1 transplant, Jhyrve has remained in the pediatric ward receiving the high doses of chemotherapy and medications that make up part of the procedure.

Though Jhyrve is determined to recover and has kept a positive attitude, the strain has been great on the entire family. Due to her fragile immune system, the doctors won’t let Jhyrve return to her Martinez home until it has undergone extensive - and expensive - modifications. This means that the entire family has been separated with Jhyrve at Duke University, her brother in California attending school, and her mom spending most of her time on the East Coast with her daughter. The family’s challenges prompted family friends, Steve and Lise Wallace, to nominate the family for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, so that the Sears could be once again reunited under one roof.

Jhyrve’s return home requires more than equipping the family home with special physical therapy devices and balance-enhancing fixtures. Her lowered immune system means that the entire home must conform to certain standards to ensure that her health and recovery will not be compromised. The heating and air conditioning system must contain a HEPA filtration unit. The house must be “mold proofed” as much as possible. Surrounding plants must be hypoallergenic. Sun, dust and bugs are extremely harmful so an attached screened-in porch has been suggested. All of these structural changes, plus the many others that are required for her return, proved beyond the family’s means. This is where Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stepped in to create the home Jhyrve needs.

Jhyrve still has a challenging road of recovery to navigate but at least now, she will be surrounded by those who love her most. On December 15, the Sears family will come home to both a new house and a new beginning.

To learn more about Krabbe Disease please visit http://www.krabbes.org/forum/default.asp.

Payless Closets is very proud to be involved in helping Jhyrve and her family. Our prayers and well wishes are with them always!