Erinne Williams,12, has spinal muscular atrophy and is hoping to get her story recognized by the ABC show 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' to make her house more wheelchair-friendly. |
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Erinne Williams,12, has spinal muscular atrophy and is hoping to get her story recognized by the ABC show 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' to make her house more wheelchair-friendly. |
She was diagnosed with spinal
muscular atrophy, a disease similar to Lou Gehrig's disease that appears in
young children and slowly breaks down the brain's ability to control muscles.
According to Erinne's Web site, her doctors said she
would likely not last through her 8th birthday.
Now Erinne is 12 years old and a student at East Middle School in Plymouth,
where she excels at academics, and plays wheelchair soccer and hockey -- and
hopes one day to be a veterinarian.
But for now, daily life is increasingly difficult for Erinne, whose wheelchair
doesn't fit down the narrow hallways of her family's apartment.
Erinne, who is 5'9 and weighs about 110 pounds, gets from room to room in the
apartment only when her mother, Suzanne, carries her -- something that is
getting harder as Erinne continues to grow.
In order to help alleviate some of the daily struggles, Erinne and Suzanne have
set their sights on getting the attention of the ABC reality show "Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition."
In September,
The Detroit News wrote a story about the family's hope for a new house.
Suzanne, who lost her job at Ford Motor Company in 2007 and is still unemployed,
said she would be ready to buy a foreclosed house or cheap property if "Extreme
Makeover" signed on to do the special renovations.
According to
local ABC affiliate WXYZ, Erinne's classmates at East Middle School held a
pep rally for Erinne this month that they recorded and will send to "Extreme
Makeover."
For now, anyone can keep tabs on Erinne's story through the blog Suzanne keeps
at our-sma-angels.com.