Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC

By Ally Matteodo

Ty Pennington and his design team never cease to amaze as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is once again named Best TV Show of the Week.  In the episode airing on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET on March 8^th, the designers travelled to Fresno, California to meet the incredible Riojas family.  Family matriarch Mary Anne was born with no legs and only one arm.  Although faced with many setbacks, Mary Anne persevered throughout life, being the first member of her family to graduate from college, and the first to buy a home.  The single mother of four kids, Mary Anne fostered a close relationship with Easter Seals and worked with many disabled children, as well as touring and giving talks on her triumphs to inspire others.  Mary Anne’s current job consisted of helping other families get their dream homes, yet her own home was critically problematic.  In the family’s message to Ty and company, Mary Anne’s children explained how it was difficult and dangerous for her to reach cabinets, across the stove, and countertops.  They worried that once all of them left for college, Mary Anne would not have anyone to assist her if she fell or couldn’t reach something.  Their heartfelt concern moved the designers to tears, and the team set out to create a new home for the Riojas family.

Mary Anne is an amazingly inspiring person.  Her spirit is infectious; she doesn’t feel sorry for herself or ask anything of others, instead working to become self-sufficient.  Her children adore her, and so does everyone else who comes into contact with her.  She is a hero in her community and provides hope to those who sink into self-doubt due to their disabilities. Ty and the team recognized Mary Anne’s inspirational qualities by donating new wheelchairs to the Easter Seals, with technological advancements that will give the kids a new sense of empowerment. Mary Anne’s new house is outfitted with solar panels so the family saves money and the environment doesn’t suffer. And the Riojas family was sent to vacation in Colorado at the Adaptive Sports Center where Mary Anne hit the slopes. The team also did a stellar job putting the personal touches on the new house; the bedrooms for the children and Mary Anne are hand-crafted according to their taste.

Mary Anne shows us that we can do anything we put our minds to and that life should be treasured.  Few things in life are better than living in a beautiful house with a loving family…and that is just the treasure the Riojas family was given by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.