"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came to the Ozarks recently and built a house for a deserving family.  Several families applied for the makeover and all  were are likely deserving, but one Springfield household was desperate - so friends stepped in and did work that no construction crew could match.

Painting, replacing furniture and cleaning is hard labor but it's nothing compared to the labors of the family who lives on north Benton street.  It's where Gretchen and Shawn Teague are raising their two children, Haley and Zach.  But their burdens are heavier than most because 17-year-old Haley is bedridden with a disease that most often strikes people much older, mostly men.  At sixteen, Haley began noticing weakness in her muscles.  As a dancer and Central Kiltie, Haley soon was unable to perform.  A series of tests revealed nothing but a nerve biopsy proved the unthinkable - Haley had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"It's living space, that's what we need," Gretchen says as friends scurry around her on a hot Friday afternoon.  These friends have worked all week to move Gretchen, Shawn and Zach upstairs to make more room for Haley and her nurse on the ground level.

Haley is on a ventilator, unable to speak or even blink.  Her disease has made her a prisoner in her own body.  Friends, neighbors and colleagues from Central High School hope to make the family's house more of a home, and give the group more room to gather together.

"The living room furniture took up all the room," Gretchen says, showing off new furniture friends raised money to buy.  "Now Haley can be part of the group instead of the centerpiece."

"It's really horrible," says Central Media Instructor Nichole Lemmon, wiping tears from her eyes.  "Seventeen-year-olds should be driving, dating, eating ice cream and playing.  And Haley can't do that and it's not fair." 

Lemmon has worked alongside Gretchen Teague, Central's drama instructor, for several years.  Over a beer one night, the two talked about life, health, family and home.  "That's where the idea was born," Lemmon says.  "The family has lived like this for over a year so it was time to make a change."

Now a camera and monitor offer a 24/7 view of Haley, and pink and green 'Kiltie Plaid' adorn the teen's bedroom walls.  Another friend, Quinton Patterson Briggs even wrote a song entitled "Haley (Fly)", which ponders life's unanswered questions.   "The song really kind of poses of how much we take for granted and how often we don't think about what could happen," Briggs says.

Gretchen Teague takes nothing for granted, and neither do Haley's friends.  Gretchen takes Haley to plays and movies, and friends stop by to read to Haley, watch movies, tell stories and lounge in front of the TV. 

"This week has been tiring, very tiring, overwhelming," Gretchen says, "And I've had to let go of stuff.  But theres a lot of stuff I'm just not ready to let go of," she adds, pointing to Haley's dance bag, still stuffed with tights and dance gear just like Haley left it.  "That will go in my closet."

It's not Gretchen Teague's style to reflect on the past -- instead she savors every moment in a house refurbished not so much with hammer and nails, but with something much stronger.

The ALS Association, Keith Worthington Chapter in Springfield, is holding e a fundraising event, September 19th at Jordan Valley Park. The event begins at 9am. Haley has a walk team that consists of her family and friends that is named Haley's Helpers. The team has already raised almost $2,000. Central High School also has many different teams that raise funds for ALS.

People can make a donation on behalf of Haley to her walk team at www.walktodefeatals.org
or create their own walk teams and begin fundraising.


For more information on ALS:

http://www.alsa-midwest.org
http://www.als-mda.org/disease/als.html
www.alsa.org

For more information on original songs by Quinton Patterson Briggs, contact:
albertasinger@gmail.com
qsmith@spsmail.org

A copy of Haley (Fly) is available for purchase for $5, with proceeds to go to "The Haley Stevens Fund" at Empire Bank and Central High School.