Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

On Sunday, I was waiting to watch the new episode of "Desperate Housewives." I happened to switch the channel over during the ending of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The preview for the next episode resonated with me since it featured blood drives done by the Red Cross.

For the March 22, 2009 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Ty Pennington and his team of home builders visit Tucson, Arizona. The team has decided to build a new house for the Bell family. One of the members of the Bell family is a 14-year-old girl, Lizzie, who requires blood transfusions in order to survive her life threatening blood disease. Lizzie and her family started the John P. Bell Foundation in order to raise awareness of the need for blood donations. Also, Lizzie won the Red Cross Hero Award for raising awareness of blood drives.

To learn more about "Extreme Makeover" and Lizzie, visit this website and be sure to catch Sunday's episode featuring the makeover of the Bell home. Can't watch the episode on Sunday? Visit the ABC site to watch the episode at a later time. There are Red Cross blood drives in the episode and you'll be able to see how easy and painless it is to donate blood and help someone in need!

To donate blood near you, visit Give Blood, Give Life.

Photo of Lizzie Bell courtesy of Extreme Makeover Tucson