NEWS RELEASES
Cancer Center patients receive Surprise from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

HOUSTON (Jan. 23, 2006) –  Tuesday, Jan. 17, was no ordinary Tuesday for twin-sisters, Tara and Sara of East Bernard, Texas.

It was on that Tuesday that Tara and Sara, along with their family, learned that they would be receiving a brand new home designed by ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Tara and Sara are both patients at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, the largest pediatric cancer center and hematology service in the country. At age 3, the twins were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer. Tara is facing a bone marrow transplant, while Sara is in remission.

“This is such a unique case,” said Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer, one of Sara and Tara’s oncologists and the chief of the long-term survivor program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. “We are thrilled that the family is receiving this amazing gift – this experience will be something that Sara and Tara will never forget.”

The design team from ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and construction crews from Royce Builders began clearing land immediately in preparation for the building process and plan to have the home constructed within a week. This particular “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project is different from the others because usually a house is demolished or refurbished. This time the mobile home in which the family lives will be removed to make room for the new house.

“The girls have certainly endured a lot in their short lives,” said Dr. Robert Krance, another oncologist on the girls’ care team and chief of the bone marrow transplant program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. “To go through a diagnosis of cancer once is enough for any child and their family, but twice, and with two children is unimaginable. I couldn’t be happier that the family was selected to participate in such a wonderful experience.”

Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Hematology Service is the largest pediatric cancer and blood disorder program in the United States. The Center sees patients from throughout the state of Texas and 35 other states and 26 countries. Nearly 25,000 patients will be seen in the Cancer Center’s outpatient clinic this year.

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