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A8-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, January 17, 2006 www.karensflowershiop.com 48î Lauriier Ate.u 878-2881 -Local familyon W Network Thursday ELulling 'special room 'for youngest daughterfocus of Save Us From Our House episode By STEPHANIE THIESSEN The Champion ty shows their guilty pleas- urparticularly those with a maxiniuîi tear jerk factor. Whai viesser caît resisl a shows ihat. ss ibmi 30 to 60 minutes, lakes a dîsastrieus situatioen anAd completely turne it around? Pariicularly ssithiîi the home/family renosatien realm, thme conclu- sion's always happy and the ends neatly tied. But whai really goes on behind the scenes? And is the camera-ready sincerity of the hosis genuine? One Milton family recently got an Up close look ai wbat il's like to be the actors - nol the viewers -in a dramna ail their osvn. The four-member Barnies clan wsv, recently featured on W Neîwork's Save Us From Our House. set 10 air Thursday ai 9:30 p.m. The show takes a tsso-fold approacb 10 improvrng flimilies' lîves. svîth the anvolvemeni of lwo experts - a home contracior and a rela- tionsbip stralegisi. lu the episode. s iessers are inlroduced 10 Mary and Allant Barnes and ibeir isso daughters. Il year-old Sarab and six-year-old Laura. wbho bas a rare genetic disorder called WolfHircshborn Syndrome. The famnily is desperate for a "safe roomI in wbicb Laura can do ber various thera- pies. but doesn't have the finances. For two weeks in late autua last year, cam- eras followed the local family's every move to gel footage for the baîf-bour episode. Ai the samne limte. bammners and saws could be con- sîanîly beard working their magic on a special roomn for Laura the Bameses couldn'î see until ils grand unveilîng. -You see ail these realîîy shows and gel aIl emotional waîcbing the peo- pIe... Being on the other side you go. 'The lears are rea'. Ms Barnes said. The adventure began one day lasi summer wben Ms Ramnes spotted an ad wbile reading a newspaper on the GO train. Il was seeking fran- tic families svbo were suffering - for wbaîever reason - in their homes. Ms Bames didn't pay attention 10 the first ad. but when she saw il twice more, ber curiosity was piqued. Bier famnily bad certaînly experi- Allan and Mary Barnes join daughters Smrh, 11, nd Laura, 6, In LaUras recetly-bullt thoray room. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE enced ils sbare ot bardsbîps Aver the years. and a lack of space was making thear situation worse. Laura, Ms Bamnes explaîned. is like a îwo- year-old in a six-year-old's body. She bas trouble controlling ber impulses and requires constant attention. This bas lefI the famîly compleîely frazzled. "I wake up tired." Ms Bames said. "There's no downtime. Until tbe roomn (was buîlî), 1 literally iook ber 10 the batbroomn witb me because she couldn't be left atonne." When ber various therapisîs would comne in and work wiîh hier, sbe svas consîanîly disiracîed by the resi of the family who would liptoe around ber, ttying bo be quiet. Ms Bamres said. Nobody could move about tbe bouse freely. A room for Laura and ber iherapisîs - viîh a door ibat could be closed so the faînily could go about ibear business -seemed like a dreamt comte true, she said. While conîractor Scott Puddicombe led tbe building initiative. relationsbîp expert Bina Khan did wbaî she could t0 belp essse somte of the famnily's stress. "Wben I tirsi met the famîly. I was really struck by boss connected tbey were in lighî of wbaî tbey've been througb." Ms Khan said in an interview se. l The Champion. One ofthe tiîng. Ms Khan said she enjoyed the niosi was spending linge ssith Sarah. sbo's used 10 yîelding attention 10 Laura. Ms Khan said Sarah wenî shopping witb one of the designers to belp pick oui thîngs for the newv room. Althougb the room s primarily for Laura and ber iherapy the designers also wanî- ed il to be a place wbere Sarah could bang oui witb ber friends or do bomnework. During tbe îwo weeks, Ms Kban arranged for the Rarres faimily to go borseback riding îogeîb- er ait an equestrian centre for people wiib special needs. There are few activities the famîly can ail do togeiber since an eye always bas 10 be kept on Laura. This seemed lîke the perfeci solution. partii.u- larly sînce Sarah's an avid fan of borses. -1 tbougbî it would be greal bringing Laura anto Sarah's wserld, because Sarah has 10 go a loi mbt L-aura's world," Ms Khan said. The hota and tbe crew huait up a special bond svitb the Bameses, she added. "The family is just incredible. I think every- one will faîl in love witb tbem." she said. "I felt very lucky lo be able lo be part of the family. We ivere ail s0 impacied by (tbem)." Mr. Puddicombe said tbe crew didn*t seemed to mind putting in extra bours to get the job done on time. -We knew it was going t0 make such a differ- ence in their lives.- be said in a phone interview. In addition to offering aIl the necessary sta- tions tor Laura's occupational, physical. Ian- guage. speech and music tberapy, the room also provides a safe place for Mr. and Ms Bames to leave Laura unattended for short periods of time. Mr. Puddicombe said. This makes for a less hectic day. The unveiling was quile emotional, Ms Bamres said. From the ground up. the construc- tion crew built a room that svould serve Laura's -and the family's -needs. There's a comfy bench on whicb the wbole family can cuddle and read, and a side built right into the wall. A desk, chairs and a black- board make for an ideal leamang space. and an iPod wîîb speakers is set up for music iherapy. Gymn mats are laid on the floor for exercising. The aimosphere is fun and fresh. wiîb a kite stretching across the ceiling and bean bag chairs. -When I finally saw the finished product. 1 was; overwbelmed,- Ms Rames recalled. -These people put ibeir hearts into il. We fel in love wiîh îbemn over the îwo weeks." Stephapnie Thiessen con be reaclîed or .srlies.seiEh mîlteîeîcouadiaeîr/iompon..oin. 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