Another AZ family to appear on 'Extreme Makeover'

An Arizona family whose daughter has a rare blood disorder will get a new home courtesy of ABC's ``Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.''

Michael and Kathleen Bell of Catalina Foothills just north of Tucson learned the good news Tuesday, when show host Ty Pennington surprised them at their home.

The Bells' home will be torn down starting Thursday and replaced with a new one, which will be built by more than 1,000 volunteers around the clock over a 106-hour period.

The Bells' 14-year-old daughter, Lizzie, has a rare blood disorder and needs to get blood transfusions every few weeks, said Jim Roden, senior pastor at the First Evangelical Free Church

``This has been a life-changing illness for them,'' said Roden, who has known the Bells for three years since they started attending service at his church. ``Lizzie is such a precious little girl.''

The Bells were nominated for the show by Lynda Langlois, a single mother of a special-needs child who said Kathleen Bell supported her while she was going through legal issues a few years ago.

``She's always been there for me,'' Langlois said of Kathleen. ``She's the kind of person you call and say, this is what's happening and she's like, 'Oh, here's A, B and C.' She's a brainstormer.''

She said the Bells' home is falling apart on the inside, with cracks in the foundation and black mold throughout the house.

``You walk in and it looks like a demolition zone,'' Langlois said.

When she heard the Bells had been picked for the show, Langlois said she was overwhelmed with happiness.

``The Bell family is one of those families that doesn't look for resources for themselves,'' Langlois said. ``Their priority is about helping other families.''

The Bells' house isn't the first Arizona home to get the ``Extreme Makeover'' treatment.

In 2007, the Yazzies of the Navajo Nation were on the program and got a new home. The family had lived in a broken-down single-wide trailer about 150 miles northeast of Flagstaff that didn't have running water, insulation, or working bathrooms.