OREM, Utah -- Hundreds of volunteers have been working day and night to welcome an Orem family home, and Saturday they made their big reveal.
Kim Power Stilson was diagnosed with three kinds of cancer and told she had just weeks to live, but five months later she is home with her family just in time for Christmas.
All Kim wanted was to leave the hospital and spend Christmas at home, but the house wasn't wheelchair accessible and that dream didn’t seem realistic. But Jill Ingram, Heart 2 Home Spokeswoman, said their organization heard about that dream and got involved.
The home would need a wheelchair-accessible bathroom and a bedroom on the first floor if Kim had any chance of coming home this Christmas. Volunteers worked to transform the home to fit the new specifications, and Ingram and others were excited Saturday to unveil their efforts.
“This is the rush, this is what it’s all about,” she said. “Just watching everyone come together at the last minute.”
Kim’s friend Barbara said she expected minor renovations, and she was taken aback by the changes.
“Honestly, this is way beyond what I expected,” she said.
Power Stilson was also thrilled with the outcome when she saw the changes: “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it! It’s so beautiful.”
The renovations include a shower on the first floor.
“I mean, I can’t come home unless it has that, and now…it’s good to be home,” she said.
With all of the changes, her dream of coming home for Christmas came true.
“I’m just so grateful, and, honestly, I just can’t believe it,” she said.
Kim has bone, lung, and beast cancer. Her friend Barbara says the diagnosis is terminal, but Kim continues to fight expectations, living well beyond her initial prognosis.
Kim said her new home is the perfect place to continue defying the odds.
Loved ones have created a GoFundMe page for those who would like to help the family with medical expenses and other costs.
