have moved away from home. But the pool still gets a lot of use. Pat enjoys family cookouts poolside and watching her grandkids learn to swim in the pool.
Unfortunately, Pat was diagnosed with lung cancer just as her own children were getting their AIDS under control. Though chemotherapy was yielding positive results, Pat was concerned that her children wouldn’t have a suitable home to live in should she die. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, touched by Pat’s selflessness and advocacy work, decided to give her a home that she’d be proud to pass on to her children. In November 2004, her 1,450-square-foot cinderblock house was replaced by a sprawling 3,300-square-foot home, complete with a gorgeous backyard pool and spa. The hot tub is situated inside an artificial stone grotto with a waterfall that spills over the top and into the pool. At the time, the three daughters with AIDS were her only children still living at home, and the pool was an integral part of their lives. Because of their compromised immune systems, the girls would risk contracting a bacterial or viral infection if they went swimming in a lake or even a public pool. However, their personal fiberglass pool was easy to maintain and provided the safe swimming environment the girls needed. The girls couldn’t wait to take their first swim in the pool, even though it was November and Pat refused to turn on the heater. So they jumped into the frigid water anyway and took frequent breaks to warm up in the hot tub. Today, all of her children are grown up and
Pat, who has been clear of lung cancer for three years, also swims in the pool regularly. A side effect of the chemotherapy has been fluid in her lungs, which makes it difficult to breath. Pat uses a device that extracts oxygen from the air and feeds it to her via a tube strapped to her nose. When she goes swimming, she hooks up a 50-foot extension tube to the device so she can swim laps.
“It gives me an opportunity to get exercise without killing myself,” Pat says, adding that even walking can be too exhausting with her condition. “Swimming is much more relaxing.” A day doesn’t pass without Pat being grateful for her new house and pool and the generous support of her community. “I am very appreciative of it,” she says. “I can’t get past the fact that it was a gift. They say this is a reality TV show, but it’s not. No one comes and does something like this in the real world. This show is a miracle.” 73