At age 48, Arelene Nickless became a single mom to three young boys.
For Nickless, who grew up in Warsaw and now lives in Holt, Mich., it's been a tough 2008.Nickless lost her husband, Tim, on Jan. 19 after a seven-year battle with Hepatitis C. Tim contracted the disease while he worked as a nurse at Ingham Medical Center in Michigan. That was the same hospital Arelene worked at as a patient care nurse.
Now Arlene is unemployed and trying to raise three boys, ages 7, 9 and 11, in a 148-year-old farmhouse in need of many repairs.
Support from her family, including her son Terry Engstrand, who is a Mentone police officer, and daughter Aubrey Sponseller, have figuratively helped her rebuild her life.
Starting Friday, the ABC television show "Extreme Home Makeover" is helping her rebuild her home.
According to Engstrand, the family got together and tried to figure out how they could help.
Arelene's mother, Betsy Earl, who lives in Findlay, Ohio, sent a letter to the show more than a month ago.
Nickless started getting phone calls from the show's producers and then eventually visits.
Nickless was told Thursday night to pack a bag for somewhere warm.
Friday morning, the "Extreme Home Makover" crew showed up at Nickless' home.
Engstrand found out about 10 a.m. Friday and the news elicited many emotions.
"Its hard, you serve and protect everyday but you want to serve and protect your mom," said Engstrand. "It's been hard trying to keep her stable. This will be an emotional boost for her."
Engstrand, his wife Reba and kids, Nate, Hannah and Macy, headed up to the Lansing-area town.
Demolition on Nickless' home began Friday, and Ty Pennington and his crew were expected to start working on the house today.
