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

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  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Legend Homes

CONTACT: Mara Woloshin, Legend Homes PR Council, Woloshin
Communications, cell, +1-503-310-4504, mara@woloshin.com; or Krista Boyd,
Director of Marketing & Communications of Legend Homes, +1-503-620-8080, ext.
219, kboyd@legendhomes.com, or Nicki Hurley, Corvallis Communities Marketing
Coordinator of Legend Homes, +1-541-754-2102, ext. 123,
nhurley@legendhomes.com; or Lisa Hildebrandt, Legend Homes PR Council,
Woloshin Communications, +1-503-241-3834, lisa@woloshin.com; or Mozell Miley,
Publicist, +1-212-456-6444, mozell.i.miley@abc.com, or Jonathan Hogan,
Publicist, +1-818-460-7016, cell, +1-310-254-4416, Jonathan.Hogan@abc.com,
both of ABC

Web site: http://www.legendhomes.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment