Hawkins Family

Extreme Home Makeover

The Hendersonville Fire Department was honored to assist the

crews of  Extreme Home Makeover during their construction

of a new home for the Hawkins family of Hendersonville.

Jerrod & Amy Hawkins' Story

The Hawkins family's heroic and heartbreaking story epitomized the larger tragedy of April 7, 2006, when deadly

tornadoes stormed across the mid-state, killing seven others in Sumner County alone, destroying over

1,000 buildings and causing an estimated $68.6 million in property damage.

Jerrod, a firefighter for the Brentwood Fire Department, was on duty at the time and could only

watch the storm from his fire station as the tornado completely destroyed the Hawkins

home, ripping the house from its foundation. Amy heroically saved the lives of Jair and Cole

by rushing them to the basement and then lying on top of them as the storm

raged around them.

Tragically, the falling bricks, debris, and concrete that pummeled Amy caused permanent injuries.

Her vertebrae and ribs were crushed, her lungs were punctured, and she sustained serious

head trauma. After the tornado passed, neighbors found Amy and the boys under a massive

pile of rubble and called Jerrod at the fire station, who had to instruct his neighbors

how to give his own wife CPR.

Left paralyzed by the destructive force of nature, Amy is slowly recovering, but doctors

say she will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Led by Jerrod's fellow firefighters at the Brentwood Fire Department and the

Hendersonville Civitan Club, Middle Tennessee has rallied around the family with food, monetary,

and material donations. While the Hawkins family was temporarily living in a rental home,

it is not wheelchair-friendly and Amy -- recently returned from three months of intensive

therapy in Atlanta -- has great difficulty moving about.

The community, identifying with Amy's story of sacrifice and heroism, has collected

over 50,000 names from across the country, nominating the Hawkins family for a visit

from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, making the Hawkins the most-nominated candidate

family in the program's four-year history.

Jerrod and Amy Hawkins with Jair & Cole

Photo and Story ©2006 Capitol Homes, Inc. All rights reserved.

For more information and photos, visit http://extreme.capitolhomeideas.com

During a four-day build period.....the ground where the Hawkins' house stood went from this.....

To this.............

Photo ©2006 Capitol Homes, Inc. All rights reserved.

Our Honor Guard Raised the Flag in Front of the Hawkins' New House

Photos ©2006 Capitol Homes, Inc. All rights reserved.

Other Pictures.........