The Team Heads to Oklahoma Tonight on Extreme Makeover Home Edition  4/22/07

WITH THE HELP OF "EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION," A FAMILY IN WHICH THE FATHER AND SON BECAME PARALYZED WITHIN A TWO-YEAR SPAN WILL GET A NEW HOME THAT WILL ALLOW THEM MORE FREEDOM TO ENJOY THEIR LIVES

"Westbrook Family" -- Ty and the gang of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will create a home that is accessible for the entire Westbrook family of Lawton, OK, who have suffered much hardship and two separate accidents that left both father and son paralyzed. The episode airs SUNDAY, APRIL 22 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Gene Westbrook, the father of three children -- Elizabeth, Katie and James -- volunteered to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was left paralyzed and received a purple heart. After being medically discharged from the military, he devoted his time to speaking about his experiences and helping others in his town. Along with his wife, Peggy, they are respected members of a close knit community, but Gene had to jump through many hoops just to be able to afford a handicapped-accessible van that allowed him to drive.

On June 10, 2006, a year after Gene was paralyzed in Iraq, a second tragedy hit the Westbrooks. While on their way to a friend's house, the wheel of their van evidently became loose, causing Gene to drive across oncoming traffic and the vehicle to roll over in a ravine. The family doesn't remember much about the accident, but suffered serious injuries: Son James was paralyzed from the waist down, daughter Katie required surgery to remove one of her kidneys, and Gene broke his ankle and knee and now suffers from short-term memory loss. With over a million dollars in medical bills, the Westbrooks can't afford to make their house accessible for someone in a wheelchair, let alone two people. This double tragedy has been very tough on Peggy, though she has shown great courage in keeping the family together during their difficulties.

Gene is a hero, wounded fighting for his country; now it's up to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to make the Westbrook home safe and handicapped-accessible, and in turn give Gene and James the freedom that they so want back.

While Ty and the designers, local builder Ron Nance's The Oaks Development Company and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding the home in just seven days, the Westbrook family will go away to a non-profit organization called the Lakeshore Foundation.

The design team for this episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will feature team leader Ty Pennington and designers Paul DiMeo, Ed Sanders, Preston Sharp and Tracy Hutson. The series is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Denise Cramsey. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

Source: ABC Press Release