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Airmen lend helping hand on ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mike Sanders
  • 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Air Mobility Command Airmen joined forces to make two St. Louis-area families' dreams come true as part of an upcoming episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Eleven Airmen and a few friends stepped up to help construct a new home for the Martinez family and also lent a hand to build a new coffee shop for St. Louis-business owner Sam Malek.

The Martinez family was in need of a new home to accommodate their twin sons, Evan and Alec, according to the project team. Evan was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic condition called Chromosome 9, Partial Monosomy 9p, and Alec has another uncommon genetic disorder known as Crouzon Syndrome. To care for the twins full time, their mother, Dawn, had to stop working as a prenatal cancer nurse. Doctors anticipated that as the boys grow, they would face great problems with the old home's cramped, narrow hallways, steep stairs, crumbling driveway and single, handicapped inaccessible bathroom.

That's where the volunteers, contractors and the Extreme Makeover designers came in ... to equip the Martinez' home to better accommodate the twins' special needs.

"I worked in the food tent to feed the masses and tried to keep up with keeping the cases upon cases of water and energy drinks on ice," said Tech. Sgt. Roger Loesch, 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center shift supervisor. "It was a fantastic experience supporting all the contractors and tradesmen, some who had been there the whole time taking three-hour cat naps, but it was worth it to build a house for such a deserving family."

Not only did a deserving family get a new home, but the build team decided to take on another task and build a coffee shop for a deserving person who serves his community in a different way.

Sam Malek was born in Cairo, Egypt, with cerebral palsy, according to project volunteers. The St. Louis business owner is a 44-year-old married father of two teenage sons. Mr. Malek took out a second mortgage on his home in 2007 to purchase the drive-through coffee shop where his mission is to "help challenged people one cup at a time." He does this by employing handicapped individuals and letting customers help decide which charitable organization will be the recipient of the coffee shop's benevolence each month. Mr. Malek is the type of person who puts his needs last, always helping others and asking nothing in return.

"It was great to be able to lend a hand to someone who gives back to his community ... my wife and I enjoyed this second opportunity to help out as the first time didn't work out due to us having to move from Delaware to Illinois," said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Ramirez, 618th TACC detail planner. "It was wonderful to see how Sam makes a difference in his community and how we could help him continue that goal!"