Ripatti Family Extreme Makeover

One of my favorite shows is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Despite its sappy story lines and overacted special projects (straight out of the Disney playbook) the show is one of the few genuinely good programs, helping people in desperate conditions and inspiring others to good works. Tonight's episode featured Kristina Ripatti and her family.

Ripatti, an LAPD patrol officer, was paralyzed a little lower than I when a suspect shot her. She and her husband (also a police officer and her former partner) are active physically. They surfed, ran and played together. Their motto is "work hard, play harder." In fact, the morning of her shooting Ripatti and her husband ran a marathon for fallen police officers.

The remodel was interesting for me to watch. Ripatti was transparent in telling Ty about her struggles, limitations, frustrations and hopes. Newly injured, she has a lot of adjustment and improvement ahead. Before the remodel she was unable to manage in their cramped house and care for their seventeen-month-old daughter. Ripatti was certainly limited in her environment and feeling the pinch.

Identifying with her frustrations twelve years post-injury, I was amazed to see Ripatti's glow as she enjoyed a vacation with her family swimming, jet-skiing, swimming with dolphins, and even surfing with an adapted surf board. When she and her family arrived home they were blown away by the thoughtful design, inspiring atmosphere and adaptive equipment and modifications.

People worked together to make sure my community and environment were friendly to me when I was paralyzed. It was very refreshing to see her get such an unbelievable opportunity to enjoy her life while working to adjust and recover.