An extreme show of support
The crew from an ABC television show will build a home for the blind survivor of the RadioShack shooting.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published March 7, 2005
SEMINOLE - Hollywood brought the circus to town Sunday, invading a neighborhood of quiet streets and Florida ranch homes on a mission to make a difference - and some heart-wrenching television.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition , an ABC-TV reality show where nobody loses, rolled onto 99th Way N as a cast of thousands prepared to rebuild the home of James Dolan, who was blinded in a moment of terror at a St. Petersburg RadioShack Nov. 18.
Dolan, 30, was working the late shift when Justin Cudar, 25, walked in and began shooting. Cudar shot Dolan in the head and fatally shot employee Joana Cruz, 19, and customer Kenneth Powell, 23, before killing himself.
A bullet to the head cost Dolan, a father of three, both eyes. He will never see again.
"Think of the darkest place you've ever been, and make it darker," Dolan said Sunday. "This is the pitchest pitch black."
Holding a cane to navigate, his left eye covered by a patch, Dolan said he's still adjusting to being blind. His mother, Cathey, said he lost more than 40 pounds in the hospital, and Dolan said he has spent months recovering and learning to live again.
"Everything is day by day," Dolan said. "I learn a little bit every day. I have a lot of faith. I've leaned on that faith, and my family."
Extreme Makeover challenges an army of builders to work around the clock for a week to remake a deserving family's home. Producers chose Dolan about three weeks ago, and after a whirlwind of arranging everything from contractors to neighborhood cooperation, the crew descended about 8 a.m. Sunday.
Up until the dramatic doorknock Sunday morning by show leader Ty Pennington, Dolan said he knew only that his family was being considered. Even at the knock on the door, Dolan said he tried to keep himself calm, ready for a letdown.
Lexington Homes is the lead builder, and company president Craig Gallagher laid out an ambitious schedule. With the Dolans whisked out of town for a week-long vacation in Puerto Rico, Gallagher's crew must coordinate nearly 1,000 workers and subcontractors to demolish the Dolans' modest house and replace it with a five-bedroom, three-bath monster, customized for a blind resident. The home will cover more than 5,000 square feet, including 3,500 square feet of enclosed living space. It will stand out from its neighbors.
"We knew it was a tragic story and our hearts went out to this family," Gallagher said. "It makes you feel good, but we had no idea of the response we could get. It's been great. We've had contractors saying, "What can we do,' we've had neighbors saying, "Do what you have to do.' It's just incredible the way the community has just stepped to the plate."
Besides Extreme Makeover 's regular cast - Pennington, Constance Ramos and Preston Sharp were seen waving to fans Sunday morning - Gallagher said ABC is bringing in experts to customize the house for Dolan. That includes voice-recognition technology, a free-flowing interior design, extra-wide halls and transition spaces on the floors to separate rooms.
Once the more than 4,000 hours of footage, including multiple camera shots, is edited down to a finished show, it should air in the next five to eight weeks, although it could be held for the May television ratings sweeps period.
Dolan grew up in the house, which is parents bought in the early 1970s, but he said he has no sentimental attachment to it. The design is outmoded, offers limited storage, and the roof leaks.
"Organization is the key. The way the house is designed, there are walls jutting into places that they don't belong, and the kitchen is a dangerous place when you can't see what's going on," Dolan said.
The new design will challenge the show's experts to go beyond the norm, construction consultant Adam Helfman said.
A job Gallagher said that usually takes 210-270 days must be done in 4 days, 9 hours.
Demolition starts Tuesday. Even government lent a hand, with Pinellas County providing a team of inspectors on site to speed approvals.
Right from the start Sunday, crews began hauling portable toilets, tents, production equipment, electric cables and metal fencing through the neighborhood. Things will only get crazier in the coming days.
"We went to each neighbor to tell them what we were thinking. To a one, they have been supportive. They want to help this family," said Tom Forman, the show's executive producer. "We told them we're going to jackhammer all night, we're going to park trucks in your driveway, it's going to be total chaos for a week. Everyone has said "Yes, we know, but we know what this family has been through.' It's been incredible, the support."
Pennington said every show has its moments, each family Extreme Makeover helps has a story, but the Dolans' plight is extra special.
After a day of shooting and reshooting key segments, introducing Dolan, his wife Chrissy and children ages 3, 6, and 12, to the cameras, producers took note of cherished furniture and artwork. Shortly after 3 p.m., they packed the Dolans into a limousine and drove them away.
Today, movers will empty the house. On Tuesday, it comes down.
By Sunday, it will be over.
The show typically ends with with shots of the family geting its first look.
But one thing the show can't make over: Dolan won't be able to see his new home.
"I'm just excited about the prospect that the home might be easier to get around in," Dolan said.