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Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Is In Northeast Indiana

By Laura Donaldson
June 18, 2010 Updated Oct 21, 2009 at 5:24 PM EST BUNKER HILL, Ind. (Indiana’s NewsCenter) - Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team gave one Miami County family a surprise of a lifetime when they rang their doorbell Wednesday morning. The Cowan-Brown family of Bunker Hill, near Peru, will have a new home in one week. “There was falling down the stairs,” said Heather Cowan who described what it was like when the doorbell rang at 8:30 Wednesday morning. “It definitely wasn’t the most graceful exit the family’s ever had.” Andy and Heather Cowan are factory workers who are struggling to support their four children. Their 12-year-old daughter Kori raises money to fight cancer in honor of her best friend, while she battles her own congenital blood disease. She has raised more than 35,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. While raising money, Kori has undergone 17 surgeries due to her condition. Doctors believe environmental issues in the family’s home may worsen Kori’s poor health. An extreme mold infestation affects several family members' health forcing Kori to remain in the upstairs of her home. “The amount of medication and the amount of surgeries and everything that are going to be reduced because this house is unbelievable,” said Heather Cowan. “In fact my children have been farmed out to other places to live because it's too bad in the house. So you're literally going to put our family back together again.” Heather’s oldest son moved in with his biological father due to the mold infestation. Heather says the situation has been tearing them apart. “We just hope you understand, you guys have saved our family,” Heather Cowan said. “It's not about the house, this is a lot bigger than the house. So thank you.” Andy says the family will be in Disneyland for the next week while Ty Pennington and his team, along with celebrity volunteer David Cook from American Idol will be in Miami County building the family a new home. Producers of the show have not told Indiana’s NewsCenter when the show will air on ABC. Stay tuned for more information.
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