"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" REBUILDS THE HOME OF A YOUNG WOMAN
WHO OVERCAME YEARS OF ADVERSITY AND ADOPTED HER SIBLINGS IN THEIR TIME OF NEED
Jeff Gordon Volunteers for "Get On the Bus" Campaign;
WWE Superstars Big Show and R-Truth, plus WWE Divas Brie and Nikki Bella, Are Special Guests
"Suggs Family" -- On January 11, 2010, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" traveled to Loris, SC � with race car driver Jeff Gordon as the celebrity volunteer -- to meet Amanda and Derrick Suggs, a young couple who had just started their own family when they adopted Amanda's younger siblings to keep them from being separated in foster care. When Derrick and Amanda got married, they moved into the home Derrick inherited from his grandfather, who built it in 1953. The home came with a long list of needed repairs: a leaking roof, outdated and exposed electrical wiring, rotting foundation and cracked asbestos siding. This episode will air SUNDAY, APRIL 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. Also in the episode, WWE Divas The Bella Twins and WWE Superstars Big Show and R-Truth team up with Ty and the "EM:HE" designers to take on their toughest opponent yet -- the old Suggs family home.
At a very young age, Amanda was forced to take on the role of a mother figure to her siblings. The children were often left alone for extended periods of time and, because the family moved so often, they were frequently out of school. Between missing school herself and caring for her siblings, Amanda fell so far behind that she dropped out after the seventh grade. At 16 Amanda reached out to her aunt for help, and she agreed to take care of Amanda and the two oldest boys. Living with her aunt helped Amanda get her life back on track, and within three months she received her GED and began community college classes. When she turned 18, Amanda moved to Myrtle Beach to continue her college education. When she met Derrick, they instantly fell in love, were married, and soon welcomed their first born, Walker. But shortly thereafter Amanda's brother, Jacob, informed her that he and his younger brothers were being taken away from their parents and placed in foster care. Without hesitation, Derrick and Amanda brought the boys to live with them.
Derrick enjoys playing the role of father, big brother and friend to the boys, but he's much more than just a dedicated father and husband. Derrick has gone above and beyond to improve the image of the police department and revitalize the relationship between the police and the community. He created a community outreach team within his police squad to help clean up the high crime areas of his district, and also set up youth activities such as "Shop with a Cop," which takes underprivileged youth out to buy toys and clothes. Last year Derrick and his partner saved the life of an infant who had stopped breathing while his mother was driving down the highway, and they were nominated for Officers of the Year. Derrick, 28, and Amanda, 26, have given every bit of themselves to their children (James, 19, Jacob, 17, Jordan, 10, Walker, 5, and Mason, 9 months) and their community, but they still lack the time and money required to fix their home.
For this episode, "EM:HE" team leader Ty Pennington, designers Ed Sanders, Paige Hemmis, and John Littlefield, race car champion Jeff Gordon, plus WWE wrestlers the Bella Twins, The Big Show and R-Truth all come together to help. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.
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