On Oct. 4, J&P Cycles received a call from the producer of the hit ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The weekly television show takes a deserving family and rebuilds their house in a single week. On Oct. 3, the ABC crew found itself in West Union, Iowa (close to J&P Cycles’ headquarters in Anamosa, Iowa) to surprise Audrey Gibbs and her six children.
Seven months after her husband died, Audrey had a brain aneurysm that affected a quarter of her brain – leaving her legally blind. The doctors cannot say if she is going to lose her sight completely or even if she is going to live or die.
Audrey has always been pragmatic and has no time for self-pity. She is passionately committed to do whatever it takes to raise her kids. Realizing she could not continue working as a cosmetologist, Audrey decided to attend massage therapy classes as she knew it was a career she could still practice after losing her sight. However, Audrey does worry about what will happen to her kids – should the worst happen.
The Gibbs family own and live on a farm which they rent portions of to local farmers for additional income. Their farmhouse is in need of significant repair with no working toilet, a ceiling that is caving in and a layout that does not work for the family – especially Audrey if she completely loses her eyesight.
J&P Cycles was called in to help on a very special project for the Gibbs family, who are motorcycle enthusiasts. The details, however, can’t be revealed quite yet, but J&P has videotaped their involvement to be shown after the episode airs.
Follow J&P’s Facebook page for more information on the project. For more information on the Gibbs’ family story, click here. If you would like to donate, visit the project’s donation page.
