"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" DESIGN TEAM MAKES BIG CHANGES
IN THE LIVES OF LITTLE PEOPLE WHEN THE CREW SURPRISES
THE KORPAI FAMILY IN CRAWFORD, NEW YORK
TLC Stars Matt Roloff ("Little People, Big World) and Dr. Jen Arnold and
Bill Klein ("The Little Couple" Appear
"Korpai Family" -- "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" traveled to Crawford, New York, to surprise the Korpai family with the door knock that can change lives, on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," SATURDAY, JULY 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD: 10/16/11)
After giving birth to Hailey, who was born with dwarfism, Jimmy and Darlene Korpai turned their attention to advocating for their little girl. As President and Vice President of the New York chapter of Little People of America, their goal is to erase ignorance, increase understanding and give families of little people support and help. On an even more personal level, they also dream of having a home that offers their daughter independence and autonomy, so she can grow from the happy-go-lucky, playful girl she is at this moment into a strong adult who can rely on herself, not letting her size deter her from pursuing her life.
High school sweethearts Jimmy and Darlene Korpai had been planning their life together since they were 17. They got married, bought a great piece of property with a two-story fixer-upper and got pregnant - all according to plan. Fifteen minutes after Hailey was born, Jimmy and Darlene's carefully orchestrated future took a turn. They learned that their new baby girl had a form of dwarfism, and for weeks that was about all they knew. Information was hard to find, and it took them months just to learn that there was a Little People support group in their area. Hailey is now 5, and the Korpais have added baby brother Hudson, 1, and a whole lot of advocacy to their lives, but no more room to their home. More importantly, they don't have the right kind of rooms in their home to keep Hailey safe, independent and happy, or to host functions and meetings for their organization. They dream of a space where Hailey can grow up with access to every aspect of the house - one which allows her the freedom and independence to do everyday things on her own, like brush her teeth, bake, turn off light switches, etc. The Korpai home is also the facility for the New York chapter of Little People of America, so there is a need for it to be one-story and wheelchair accessible to accommodate little people visitors, as well as Hailey.
"The EM:HE" design team has just seven days to build a brand new home for the Korpai family, one that is safe, secure and accessible for Hailey and Little People of America visitors. The Korpai family has been whisked away on a Disney Cruise vacation to the Bahamas and a whirlwind trip to New York City-while in the Big Apple they are surprised by some of their personal heroes, Dr. Jen Arnold and Bill Klein from TLC's "The Little Couple," who have a big reveal for them.
Meanwhile, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's" Paul DiMeo travels to Oregon to meet Matt Roloff, the dad on the popular TLC show "Little People, Big World." The Roloff family farm is unique in the way Matt adapted it to make it accessible for his family members of all sizes. Paul enlists Matt's help making the Korpai home as enjoyable as his farm. Matt then visits the Korpai home to help the design team figure out how to retrofit the build. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team leader Ty Pennington, designers Jillian Harris, Ed Sanders, along with Paul and local builders Hearthstone Commercial & Residential Contracting, as well as community volunteers, build the structure.
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol USA, of Endemol Holding, and executive-produced by Brady Connell & George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.
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