Corvallis Cancer 'Warrior Princess' Chosen for ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition shoots an Oregon premiere July 7-14 to give

Jenessa Nichole Byers and her family the home of their dreams

    CORVALLIS, Ore., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- "Good Morning Byers Family!"
 was the phrase Ty Pennington of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,
 enthusiastically shouted as the Byers family ran out of their Corvallis
 house jumping and screaming; they were about to receive the greatest
 surprise of their lives. Out of dozens of Oregon Home Builders, Extreme
 Makeover: Home Edition chose award-winning, green-certified Legend Homes to
 help one very deserving family, the Byers, of Corvallis, Oregon get the
 home of their dreams in Oregon's first-ever Extreme Makeover.
     The Byers look like your typical American family: a hard-working dad
 (Rob), a doting mom (Rachel), two rowdy boys (Chris, 13 and Joe, 12) and a
 spunky little sister (Jenessa, or "Boey," 8). But in January 28, 2006, the
 family's world went dark. Boey, was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive
 childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, which has a 70% survival rate.
 This loving, spirited family refused to be defeated by the disease and
 banded together to help Boey in the fight for her life. Not only did Boey,
 nicknamed by friends as "The Little Warrier," endure nearly a year of
 chemotherapy and radiation, she became proactive and outspoken about
 combating cancer. During and after her 2006 treatment, she visited other
 children with cancer, created UTube videos about cancer and started a
 foundation to help fund research for childhood cancer.
     Unfortunately Boey's cancer recently returned. This month, in between
 stays at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Boey asked Oregon Senator Ron
 Wyden to co-sponsor the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act.
     Though the Byer family is united in rallying around Boey and advocating
 for progress in pediatric cancer treatment, her past medical bills have
 left them beyond broke. The family's fixer-upper house that Rob planned to
 transform into their dream home is in serious despair. Healthcare experts
 have advised the family that the home is dangerous to Boey's fragile immune
 system. While asbestos has been removed from the house, the structure is
 still filled with toxic molds, a faulty electrical system, dry rot, an
 unstable foundation and broken windows. Brother Joe, who has Asperger
 Syndrome (a form of autism), suffers asthma attacks triggered by the home's
 toxins, which also requires medical treatment.
     Legend Homes encourages you to get involved and help this deserving
 family realize their dream of living in a safe, clean and environmentally
 green home that doesn't threaten Boey's or Joe's health. Go to
 http://www.legendhomes.com, click on the Extreme logo, click on Volunteer
 and fill-out the form. In addition, the website provides a link to make
 donations, directly benefiting the Byers family.
     Founded in 1965, Legend Homes is the award-winning builder of more than
 12,000 homes in planned communities throughout Portland and Corvallis.
 Their high-quality, green-built homes are crafted with premium materials to
 ensure structure strength, better air quality and energy efficiency.
     "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which has won back-to-back Emmy
 Awards as Best Reality Program (non-competitive), is entering its 5th
 season on ABC. The program is produced by Endemol USA, a division of
 Endemol Holding. Denise Cramsey is the executive producer; and David
 Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.
     The family will be available from 1 pm - 3 pm on July 7, 2007. For more
 information or to schedule an interview, contact:
     Mara Woloshin
     Legend Homes PR Counsel
     Woloshin Communications
     mara@woloshin.com
     Cell: 503.310.4504
 
     Krista Boyd
     Legend Homes Director of Marketing & Communications
     kboyd@legendhomes.com
     503.620.8080 X219
 
     Nicki Hurley
     Legend Homes Corvallis Communities Marketing Coordinator
     nhurley@legendhomes.com
     541.754.2102 X123
 
     Lisa Hildebrandt
     Legend Homes PR Counsel
     Woloshin Communications
     lisa@woloshin.com
     503.241.3834
 
     Mozell Miley
     ABC Publicist
     212.456.6444
     mozell.i.miley@abc.com
 
     Jonathan Hogan
     ABC Publicist
     Office: 818.460.7016
     Cell: 310.254.4416
     Jonathan.Hogan@abc.com
 
 

SOURCE Legend Homes