Before 17-year-old Jhyrvé Sears left her home in Martinez, Calif., the Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy choir sang “The Old Irish Blessing” to her through their tears. Little did Jhyrvé realize that the next time they would sing that song would be at her homecoming to a brand new house. Replacing her old 1,200-square-foot home is a new 3,800-square-foot house, thanks to the help of her surrounding Adventist and Martinez communities and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Since March 2004, PHAA student Jhyrvé has been at Duke Medical University in North Carolina receiving treatments for Krabbe Disease, a rare and life-threatening degenerative disorder of the nervous system. During her treatment at Duke, Jhyrvé received a cord blood stem-cell transplant along with chemotherapy. Karen, Jhyrvé’s mother, accompanied her to Duke, while her brother, Lucas, remained in Martinez with his father.

Meanwhile, the local Adventist community began raising money to help with the increasing medical expenses and inevitable house renovation costs. Because Jhyrvé’s treatments left her immune system compromised, doctors indicated that her old, mold-ridden house was unfit for her to live in.

Helping Hands

The blessings began to unfold when Lise Wallace, a teacher at PHAA, and her husband, Steve, realized that fundraisers were not enough. Enclosing the Pacific Union Recorder article on Jhyrvé (September 2004), a Contra Costa Times front-page article, and a video created by local Channel 4 news station cameraman Ken Lombardi, Lise sent an application packet to ABC’s show.

In October 2004, producers informed the Wallaces that ABC was going to help. Dedicating 50-60 personal hours per week, Steve and Lise organized volunteers and meetings, coordinated with city officials for clearances, frequently visited the build site, secured building-related materials and made extensive phone calls.

DeNova Homes then agreed to partner with ABC’s show in December 2004. Approximately 915 tradesmen and 335 volunteers worked directly with the project, with hundreds more participating in supportive roles, which included city staff, Adventist church members and 61 food vendors that donated meals for the more than 1,000 workers. The house itself required more than five straight days of labor and 150 yards of concrete.

Site Challenges

Although volunteers were abundant, the project site itself presented unique challenges to both DeNova Homes and the “Extreme Makeover” crew. Neither DeNova nor “Extreme Makeover” had ever been involved with a job of this magnitude.

While other projects had ample space for parking and building materials, the Martinez site had limited access with streets less than 20 feet wide. Also, because the old house rested on a steep incline, builders had to remove 1,200 cubic yards of soil before starting on the new home. To complete the project on time, DeNova Homes approached the site as three separate segments.

Despite the challenges posed with the Martinez project, the house was successfully completed and ready for unveiling on Dec. 15. The unveiling of the Sears’ new home affected many of her friends.

Friendly Support

“I have known Jhyrvé since seventh grade and we do everything together,” said Katherine McMillan, a close friend and member of PHAA choir. “When I saw her at the unveiling, it was extremely emotional for me. I was so happy to see her.”

McMillan was not alone in this sentiment. “When I saw her, I almost started crying,” said Tori Hirata. “I was so happy that she had a new house and that she could be home again.”

For Jhyrvé’s arrival, “Extreme Makeover” surprised her with the PHAA choir singing on the front lawn of her new home. This meant a great deal to Jhyrvé. “At the unveiling, from where I was, I could see the choir. Just seeing them and my family again made me start to cry,” she said.

The house has been specially designed to accommodate Jhyrvé’s condition. The Swiss-made HEPA filter, one of only three in the world, has ultraviolet rays to eliminate bacteria and viruses. The windows are designed to prevent dust formation, which alleviates Jhyrvé’s breathing difficulties. With four bedrooms, the new home features individualized rooms to fit the taste of the Sears family members.

Because Jhyrvé enjoys '50s-style music and décor, designers decorated her room accordingly. Complete with a digital jukebox, black and white checkered floor and a drive-in style home theater system, the room fits Jhyrvé’s taste. “I just love my room!” said Jhyrvé. “It’s my favorite room of the house.”

Community Effort

The process of building a new home for the Sears family was a community effort. “I got to witness people working under extraordinary conditions, and I saw them looking out for each other rather than themselves,” said Dave Sanson, president of DeNova Homes. “They would come up to me and say, ‘Dave, you don’t know me, but I just wanted you to know that being a part of all this has changed my life.”

This story also personally affected some of the involved officers of the Martinez police department. “My partner and I were the ones to escort the family from the hotel to the unveiling,” said Mike Estanol, motor officer of the traffic unit. “It really hit home to us when she came out of the hotel in her wheelchair. The first thought that came to mind was, ‘Whatever it takes to make this girl’s life easier, I want to see that happen.’ We were really happy to be able to be a part of her day.”

Extreme Witness

In turn, the Adventist and Martinez communities also impressed the crew of the ABC show. “The support from the community was awesome,” said Milan Vasic, location manager of “Extreme Makeover.” “We had several hundred volunteers who were there every step of the way. They kept our spirits up and our bellies warm with homemade cookies and brownies. They helped us paint, clean, carry furniture, pick up trash and drive. We could never have accomplished this without the help of the entire community.”

As the airing of the show drew closer, volunteers and workers from the participating companies showed excitement. DeNova Homes rented out a local, 900-seat theater to allow their employees to watch the show together. Also, Shell Oil Refinery, which provided a large lot for off-site storage and parking, hosted a party at its community clubhouse to show the episode. Employees of DeNova Homes and Shell Oil refinery were among the 20 million Americans who viewed the episode.

Months after the show, the students and faculty at PHAA continue to keep in touch with Jhyrvé, as they have from the start of her treatment. “The students are spending a lot of time on the phone with Jhyrvé to keep her company,” said Denise White, principal of PHAA.

Chris Kam, a friend and classmate at PHAA, is one of them. “When she first went to surgery, we were all really worried,” said Kam. Ever since she was in North Carolina, “I have talked to her almost every day as much as I can. I just remember that all she wanted to do was come home.”

Bryan West, a member of the PHAA choir, also keeps in touch. “I’ve called her on the phone, and whenever I talked to her, she sounded a little tired but always upbeat,” said West. “She seemed more concerned about her friends than herself.”

Students who visit Jhyrvé must undergo a “scrubbing” procedure, which requires the use of a medicinal soap on the hands up to the elbows. Despite this requirement, her friends continue to visit her as much as possible. “It was unbelievable to see Jhyrvé again. Finally, I could talk to her in person,” said Kam. “We were just really glad to see each other again.”

Friend Hirata agrees. “It was really cool to interact with her on a personal basis and to talk about the things that we used to.”

Money Woes

"While the church and school members raised $60,000 before Jhyrvé came home, this has not fully met the monthly expenses, and "many times," said Lise, "we were behind in bills."

Fortunately, to date, DeNova Homes has raised an additional $150,000 for Jhyrvé's trust fund, which is to be "utilized for medical and future college expenses," said Sanson.

However, because a recovery period of at least five years is expected for Jhyrvé, the money will likely be enough to cover only a portion of her medical-related expenses. With Karen being Jhyrvé's primary caretaker and thus unable to return to work, "I'm hoping," said Lise, "an appeal to our members nationally to visit the donation site at www.cota.org will help continue to raise money for Jhyrvé's fund."

Getting Better

As for Jhyrvé, her condition continues to steadily improve. “I’m getting better. I am working on walking again,” she said.

Karen readily agreed. “She’s working on getting her bigger muscle groups stronger,” said Karen. “Her hair’s growing in and she’s more coherent than she has ever been. With a little time, she’ll look the way she did before her treatment. Otherwise, she’s doing well.”

The Sears family is a testament of the power that a united community can have through the help of resources such as ABC’s “Extreme Makeover.” The Sears family continues to express their gratitude.

“Through the community, God has provided us with more than I could have ever imagined,” said Karen. “After many sleepless nights spent in prayer, like Daniel in the lions’ den, God took care of us. None of this could have happened without the support of people like Steve and Lise Wallace and countless others within the community. And now, at last, we’re home,” said Karen.

In light of the life-changing events that have occurred in Jhyrvé’s life, it is no wonder that she still cherishes the sound of her choir singing the hopeful lyrics of “The Old Irish Blessing,” which closes with: “And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hands.” For Jhyrvé, it has become much more than a song—it has become an answered prayer.

Encouragement

If you would like to send a note of encouragement to Jhyrvé and her family, please visit www.caringbridge.com. (Click on “Visit a caringbridge page,” select “ca” for the directory and type in “jhyrve” for the name.) The family appreciates reading special notes and prayers from everyone who has been touched by this story. “We are really thankful to those who have been keeping in touch with us through the CaringBridge site,” said Karen.

For more information on Jhyrvé's story, please visit the news section of the Northern California Conference web site at http://ncc.adventist.org.