Pooja Sharma
In a feat to revitalize the lives of a family, ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ takes on the monumental challenge of rejuvenating a family home from the ground up. First released in 2003, the reality television show has continued to garner wide recognition since its inception. The fifth iteration of the series features the Yazzies, a family of six who live in a dilapidated trailer in Pinan, Arizona. Years since their house first got a makeover, fans have been curious to know the family’s whereabouts.
Yazzie Family’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Journey
Based in Pinan, Arizona, the Yazzie family encountered several struggles. Even so, they hoped for a miracle with bated breath. The family lived in a trailer and comprised Georgia, the matriarch, her children, Gwen, Garrett, Geraldine, and Geraldine’s two kids. In addition to living in a structure run down with structural issues, the family had few resources and faced a particularly hard time as Gwen suffered from epilepsy and asthma and needed blood transfusions every two weeks. For years, the little unit had been using a coal stove to keep their house heated. However, burning coal gave way to fumes that didn’t just threaten Gwen’s well-being but also added another extra expenditure.
To rectify this, 13-year-old Garrett took it upon himself to construct a water heater made out of soda cans. The “junkyard genius” invented the solar power heating system by using plastic glass, soda cans, and a car radiator. Despite being recognized nationally for his invention, the family still faced countless issues as they did not have running water. Moreover, with Georgia’s injury, the children had to multitask and ensure the simultaneous care of their aged mother and two toddlers. Not just this, they also had to ensure that their sister’s health didn’t worsen.
With the help of Ty Pennington and the ABC home improvement show crew, the family could see their dream house rebuilt from the ground up. In tune with Garrett’s invention, Ty Pennington and his team gave the house a solar panel system. They also added plants on the roof to give the house enough insulation and even installed a wind turbine. All these additions were in harmony with the Navajo belief that man should live in tandem with nature and the gifts of mother nature.
Yazzie Family: Where Are They Now?
Albeit the monumental changes that gave the Yazzie family renewed hope, the family’s life didn’t improve as well as they had hoped. Not too late, after the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ crew left Georgia’s house, unexpected repairs, and issues started piling up for the matriarch and her family.
From decorative veneer pulling away to wall insulation failing, the Yazzie family’s luck had to deal with more repairs than they had anticipated. In addition to facing health problems, Georgia also faced house repairs as she had to deal with a faulty irrigation system that turned her front yard into a cesspool. In addition, with the house’s heating system malfunctioning, the family had to consistently crack up the thermostat in order to keep themselves warm.
Since their time on the show, the family has kept their lives under wraps. Garrett Yazzie continued to remain on track with his dreams to take his community’s beliefs and family to new heights. The television personality was later a featured speaker for the Native American Summit’s Youth Track. Later, he enrolled in the Navajo Technical College and had hoped to study radiology at Northern Arizona University. From what we can tell, Garrett is now a Data and Evidence Specialist at Salt Lake County in Utah.
Not just this, he also gave valuable insight during the production of ‘Without Fire,’ a short film based on the life of the Yazzie family. Like their predicament, the short film also featured the story of a protagonist who must find a way to deliver heat to her home to save her asthma-stricken mother from a terrible winter storm. Other than this, the family of six have continued to keep their lives outside public scrutiny. Nevertheless, we continue to hope that the Yazzie family has since overcome the countless travails that hindered their personal and professional progress.
Read More: Ginyard Family From Extreme Makeover: Where Are They Now?
