On June 23, 2011, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” traveled to South Jordan, Utah to surprise the Gomez family with the door knock that can change lives. Fun-loving, impish Jonah Gomez is like any loveable, mischievous little boy in the first grade, with hopes and dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. His love of life has not been diminished by the fact that he has blood disorders which have caused him to undergo open-heart surgery. Mom Jessica and younger sister Ellie have made every effort to help Jonah live his life to the fullest.
Despite Jonah’s illness and the fact that Jessica had to give up her airline job to take care of him, the Gomez Family have done their best to soldier on, never losing their love of life and having fun. When Jonah is healthy enough, he plays on a soccer team and attends games of Salt Lake Real soccer team, whose players have become his protective friends and supporters. Although Jonah must take oxygen while he sleeps and is often not able to play outside with the extreme weather in Utah, you’d never know it from his joyful demeanor. He seems like every other kid-excited to play soccer and to joke with his sister.
The Gomez Family are much loved in their community, which has rallied around to help keep Jonah happy and healthy while also spreading the word about the importance of bone marrow donorship. So far there has been no bone marrow match for Jonah. He faces a tougher challenge than most because he’s of Latin descent and statistically fewer minorities join the National Marrow Donor Program. Jessica has not only assumed a proactive role in identifying the best treatment options, she’s also been a passionate advocate for bone marrow donation and cord blood donation, and for spreading the word about the need for minority bone marrow donorship — an issue many people are unaware of. She initiated the creation of a Sickle Cell Anemia blood support group for other families with children who have this rare blood disease. Jessica’s sister, a high school teacher, wrote and published the children’s book “Robbie The Red Blood Cell,” which explains Sickle Cell Anemia. Their dream is to become a 501c3 for “Robbie The Red Blood Cell” and make it a household name for children with Sickle Cell Anemia.
The EMHE design team has just seven days to build a brand new home for Jonah and his family, one that is big enough for three people and also provides an area for Jonah to practice soccer when the weather prevents him from being able to do so outside. The Gomez family have been whisked away on a dream vacation to Disneyland while “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team leader Ty Pennington, designers Xzibit, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney and local builder Holmes Homes, Inc, and local business Rio Tinto, as well as community volunteers, rebuild the structure.
The doorknock home location: 2798 W. Lou Jean St., Taylorsville UT 84118. The build location: 10729 Oquirrh Lake Rd, South Jordan, UT 84095
The series is produced by Endemol USA, of Endemol Holding, and executive-produced by Brady Connell & George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America.