Boston Red Sox Team Up With Extreme Makeover Team November 20th  11/14/05

THE BOSTON RED SOX TEAM UP WITH THE EXTREME TEAM DESIGNERS TO BUILD A HOME FOR A YOUNG BOY WITH A LIFE THREATENING DISEASE AND HIS FAMILY, ON ABC'S "EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION"

Soccer Olympian Mia Hamm Also Lends a Helping Hand

"Tripp Johnson Family" -- Ty and the gang team up with the Boston Red Sox to help build a new and renovated home for Tripp and Heidi Johnson of Medfield, MA, the dedicated parents of Will - a five-year-old with Spinal Muscular Atrophy -- and his family, on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Just months after Heidi was diagnosed with a second spot of melanoma, her son, Will, who was 14 months old at the time, was diagnosed with a life threatening disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Although an average family might have buckled under the pressure, Tripp and Heidi rose to the occasion by advocating awareness. Tripp runs in the Boston Marathon each year to raise money for SMA, Heidi runs a parent volunteer program that teaches disability awareness education in the public schools, and on her last birthday, Abby, Will's older sister, also became involved by encouraging donations in lieu of presents to help her little brother. After a wall nearly fell on Will's grandfather while he was trying to build a first floor bedroom for Will, the family decided, at the insistence of friends and neighbors, to ask for help by applying for an "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Will does everything in his power to keep up with his older siblings - he attends pre-school and even plays in a baseball league, where he runs the bases in his motorized scooter! He is an inspiration to everyone he meets. A die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, Will once got the chance to meet his favorite players. Now some of the 2004 World Series champs, Curt Schilling, Jason Varitek and Kevin Millar -- who know a little something about overcoming the odds and making the impossible happen -- want to give back to this deserving young boy by teaming up with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to build a house that is sun-friendly for mom and accessible for Will. In addition, soccer Olympian Mia Hamm stopped by to lend a helping hand and kicked some ball with the designers.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," along with a coalition of Medfield custom-home builders, will pull together to give this deserving family a healthy home for their son. While the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" design team, contractors and hundreds of workers and volunteers are transforming the Johnsons' house into a dream home, they will go on vacation to Phoenix, AZ.

The design team for this episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will feature team leader Ty Pennington, Michael Moloney, Daniel Kucan, Constance Ramos and Ed Sanders.

The series is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Tom Forman and co-executive produced by Denise Cramsey. Broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning, this program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

Source: ABC Press Release