HOPING FOR 'EXTREME' HELP




Published Thursday, June 28th, 2007

ELENA OLMSTEAD HERALD VALLEY BUREAU

GRANDVIEW -- Space has become too tight in the single-wide mobile home Rodney and Lynn Walker have owned in Grandview's Lamplighter Village for 16 years.

In November 2005, Lynn was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. She must use a power chair, which is too wide to fit down the trailer's narrow hallway.

Her limited mobility in the home has led Rodney to pray for a miracle, and his mother is trying to do what she can.

Patricia Walker, who lives in Cookeville, Tenn., would like to see the Grandview couple selected for ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. She's even started an e-mail chain letter, collecting signatures as a way to get the show's producers to take notice.




Rodney said he's in awe of what his mother has accomplished -- collecting nearly 2,000 signatures from people across the globe who are interested in seeing the family -- which includes children James, 15, and Amber, 11 -- get a new home.

"There are a lot of awesome hearts out there," Rodney said.

He would like to get Lynn, 41, into a new home while she'll still be able to enjoy it. Looking around the living room of their trailer, he said Lynn is restricted to the living room and the kitchen -- the only two rooms where her power chair fits.

Pointing to the front door, Rodney shows where bits of the door frame have been cut away so Lynn can get in and out of the house in her chair. It's been nearly a year since Lynn has seen her children's bedrooms -- which are down a narrow hallway -- and Rodney said she's only slept in her bed eight times in the last year, opting instead to sleep in the living room.

"We don't have enough room," he said.

It was a friend who encouraged him to fill out the 18-page application for Extreme Makeover. But Rodney said he hasn't sent it off because he hasn't had a chance to put together a video clip of his family -- an application requirement.

Rodney said when he mentioned what he was doing to his mother, she insisted on also filling out an application for the family. She hoped that the more nominations the family received, the better chance they'd have of getting on the popular show.

Patricia completed and sent in her application along with nearly a dozen others filled out by family and friends in Tennessee. But she didn't think that was enough -- so she started the chain e-mail.

Three weeks ago she sat down at her computer and typed out an e-mail detailing her son's situation. She sent it to everyone she had an address for. Since then, names have been filling her inbox, with signatures coming from as far away as Alaska and Japan.

"It's just a miracle to me," Patricia said from her Tennessee home. "I figured I'd get 100, but they keep rolling in."

Patricia said it makes her feel good to know that although her health is keeping her from getting to Grandview to help, she's contributing.

"I'm hoping and praying that Rod and Lynn will get it," she said.

Life has been hard for the Walker family since Lynn was diagnosed. In April 2005, one of her legs suddenly went numb. The muscles in her arms and chest began constantly twitching. Seven months later, a doctor in Seattle told the family she had Lou Gehrig's disease.

"It was like stabbing a knife right through your heart," Rodney said.

In that instant, Rodney knew Lynn would have to stop working. She quit her job at Sunnyside's Safeway store, which she'd held for 18 years.

"I told her she's done -- enjoy life," Rodney said.

Gary Wosk, with the California-based ALS Association, said Lou Gehrig's disease hits people hard and quickly. Some die as soon as six months after a diagnosis, while others can hit a plateau and stay there for years. He said there is no way to know how long a person with the disease will live.

Lynn can't walk or talk, and has to rely on one of her family members to operate the joy stick on her power chair. Last fall, Rodney quit his job as a security guard at RC's Casino in Sunnyside to help care for his wife.

To add your name to the petition send an e-mail at Patricia Walker at prwalker38@aol.com.

w Elena Olmstead: 509-786-7133; eolmstead@tri cityherald.com
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/lo...-9002400c.html