Suffield Family Welcomes "Extreme" Surprise
Extreme makeover airs episode of home built in Suffield
No longer is the Hill family keeping a secret from the rest of Connecticut. The long-awaited episode of "Extreme Home Makeover" aired to millions Sunday night, sharing the heartwarming story of the family of 13 with the nation.
The Hills were selected for the show after they took in seven nieces and nephews. Added to their four children, the Hills did not have enough room for everyone in their Suffield home.
“I got a bed now,” son Robert Hill said. “Before, I used to sleep on the couch. We have so many boys and so many girls, that with two bunk beds in the room, and I’m one of the bigger boys.”
To celebrate the airing of the show, the Hills and the 1,500 volunteers who helped build the new home gathered to watch at La Renaissance banquet facility in East Windsor.
“It’s been a tremendous experience from the beginning,” William Hill said. “It’s just an overwhelming feeling of love being poured onto us.”
The volunteers were just as excited to watch the episode as the Hills. They say the Hills' positive outlook made it that much more rewarding to build them a home.
“One neighbor, a guy, went over to them and said they would have come to me and bulldozed my house and move it over 5 feet, 'I would have done it for them in a heartbeat,'” volunteer Tim Gilette said.
Posted Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 - 10:24 PM EST
