Rina & Will...love the look he is giving her in this picture:
I received a very exciting phone call this morning from my parents. On their local news, it showed the ABC Extreme Home Makeover bus pulling up to the Carrs house- friends of ours from Out on a Limb Camp & Scottish Rite Hospital for Children!!!
That's Will in the blue shirt in the back with Rina Carr beside him in pink & Ryanne Carr standing up on the left.
Rina & Will are quite the little buddies...
And below is Will with his cabin mates from Out on a Limb Camp last summer- Ryanne & Rina are the ones hugging each other
Here's the local news story from East Texas this morning & a video of the knock on their door!
Here's the letter I sent to ABC last fall:
I received a very exciting phone call this morning from my parents. On their local news, it showed the ABC Extreme Home Makeover bus pulling up to the Carrs house- friends of ours from Out on a Limb Camp & Scottish Rite Hospital for Children!!!CONGRATS, CARRS!!!
Last fall, Katrina Carr shared with me that they were being pursued by ABC having been nominated anonymously for the show. I was so excited for them & even sent a letter of recommendation (it's below.) It felt surreal writing to ABC Producers!
This is such a deserving family - Katrina & Mike have 4 children - all adopted & 3 with special needs. Their 2 youngest kids were both in our cabin at camp last summer- they have amniotic band syndrome which has resulted in the amputations of various limbs. Precious girls - so embracing of Will (as you can see from the pics!) Mike has also had 2 organ transplants & therefore has health issues of his own.
We've continued to develop a friendship as we saw them again at dinner after hearing Nick Vuijic speak in December in Dallas & again at several events during the Dallas White Rock Marathon weekend.
This morning, they got the knock, began furiously packing, & are off to Hawaii this evening!!!
And guess where Will & I are headed?!?!? You bet- I am furiously searching for decently priced airline tickets to get home & volunteer!
One of my favorite things about having a kid with limb differences (& I have lots of favorite things!) is that we have been privileged with developing relationships with people we would have otherwise never met. The Carrs are one such family - Katrina has passed on such wisdom & encouragement to me & I am so thankful for that. I am so excited at the prospect of participating in such an incredible event next week!
Plus, through a friend of my parents who has been highly instrumental & basically in charge from the East Texas side of things in all of this, I just learned of a very exciting surprise in store... I'm not going to say it here. I realize the Carrs will not be reading in blogs from the beach in Hawaii - (pretty sure she has no time for reading them anyway with 4 kids to take care of & homeschooling!) But I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for anyone else! Let's just say... I am in tears just thinking about it! ;)
Get excited for some "MOVE THAT BUS" pictures coming in a week!!!
Get excited for some "MOVE THAT BUS" pictures coming in a week!!!
(Hopefully, if I can figure out how to quickly cross the state of Texas for a decent price!)
That's Will in the blue shirt in the back with Rina Carr beside him in pink & Ryanne Carr standing up on the left.
Rina & Will are quite the little buddies...
Here's the local news story from East Texas this morning & a video of the knock on their door!Here's the letter I sent to ABC last fall:
ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
To Whom It May Concern:
While I wholeheartedly believe the Mike Carr family deserves to be featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition and will benefit in countless ways, I believe the greater benefit will be to your viewing audience. Featuring the Carrs will offer your viewers a story of hope, grace, and inspiration.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing the Carrs since last summer. I met Katrina, Ryanne, & Rina at Out on a Limb Camp for children with limb differences in July of 2009. My son, Will, a quad congenital amputee, was attending camp for the first time and we were placed in the same cabin as the Carrs. As a young mom and new to the world of congenital amputees, I can’t describe how encouraging it was for me to experience camp with people like the Carrs. Katrina’s smile instantly brought my heart great encouragement. Her stories of parenting children with limb differences were filled with humor and grace. Her precious daughters instantly welcomed us and embraced my son – especially sweet Reena! I have since encountered the family several times and each time, I am drawn to their contagious laughter and celebration of life. We look forward to many years of friendship as our children grow up and continue to participate in similar events as congenital amputees.
I realize that the Carrs have some major needs and that your show would certainly fulfill those needs. They are a generous family and I have no doubt that by being the recipients of a new or remodeled home, they would be freed up to volunteer more of their time and money to causes they are passionate for. What you could do for this family would not stop at a new home; I firmly believe they would continue passing on the blessings they had received.
More importantly, however, I am confident that their story will impact your viewers far more than you could possibly imagine. Featuring the Carrs would not simply impact a single family but would undoubtedly change the lives of many.
Thank you for considering this dear family,
To Whom It May Concern:
While I wholeheartedly believe the Mike Carr family deserves to be featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition and will benefit in countless ways, I believe the greater benefit will be to your viewing audience. Featuring the Carrs will offer your viewers a story of hope, grace, and inspiration.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing the Carrs since last summer. I met Katrina, Ryanne, & Rina at Out on a Limb Camp for children with limb differences in July of 2009. My son, Will, a quad congenital amputee, was attending camp for the first time and we were placed in the same cabin as the Carrs. As a young mom and new to the world of congenital amputees, I can’t describe how encouraging it was for me to experience camp with people like the Carrs. Katrina’s smile instantly brought my heart great encouragement. Her stories of parenting children with limb differences were filled with humor and grace. Her precious daughters instantly welcomed us and embraced my son – especially sweet Reena! I have since encountered the family several times and each time, I am drawn to their contagious laughter and celebration of life. We look forward to many years of friendship as our children grow up and continue to participate in similar events as congenital amputees.
I realize that the Carrs have some major needs and that your show would certainly fulfill those needs. They are a generous family and I have no doubt that by being the recipients of a new or remodeled home, they would be freed up to volunteer more of their time and money to causes they are passionate for. What you could do for this family would not stop at a new home; I firmly believe they would continue passing on the blessings they had received.
More importantly, however, I am confident that their story will impact your viewers far more than you could possibly imagine. Featuring the Carrs would not simply impact a single family but would undoubtedly change the lives of many.
Thank you for considering this dear family,
1 thoughts:
oh how I hope you get there! what a great letter!
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