Community bands together to get 'Extreme Makeover' for family

Dylan Schaefer has overcome a world of obstacles in his 18 years.

Despite cerebral palsy that's immobilized his right side and confined him to a wheelchair, he graduated from high school on time, a social and academic success.

But what many graduates view as a time of impending freedom is perhaps Dylan's greatest challenge, as he and his family deal with a home that has made them virtual prisoners.

With the help of a power chair, Dylan was able to move freely through the halls of Wheaton Warrenville South High School, socialize with friends - and be a regular teenager.

"I call my power chair 'The Beast' because it's between 300 and 400 pounds," Dylan said. "If your toe gets run over, it hurts."

But since graduation, Dylan and The Beast have been unable to roam. At his family's Warrenville townhouse, there simply isn't enough space for Dylan's power chair to maneuver, so it stays parked in a closet.

And because most of the home isn't handicapped accessible, Dylan is restricted to the living room where he eats, sleeps, watches TV and e-mails friends on his computer.

The lack of space makes it difficult for Dylan to entertain guests.

His parents, David and Denise, don't own a vehicle with a lift. So getting him out of the home is rare.

"We're virtually prisoners here," Denise Schaefer said. "Outside of school, Dylan really doesn't have a social life."

So Dylan's teachers and classmates hatched a plan in the closing weeks of school to help the family - something extreme.

'Move that bus'When ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" put the word out that it was looking for a Chicago-area family to spotlight, the Wheaton Warrenville South community did what it could to help Dylan's family get a surprise visit from Ty Pennington and his team of designers."The fact is Dylan touches people's lives in ways the rest of us should take notice of," Principal Dawn Snyder said. "He expects nothing in return except friendship. This was an opportunity for the people who care about him to demonstrate the love they have for him."To help Dylan, teachers and students pitched in to make a video that was sent to the show's casting producer along with the family's application.One of Dylan's friends, Brandon Andrews, created a Facebook page to try to drum up additional support over the Internet. The page has more than 3,000 followers.Dylan says he's seen the Facebook page and is amazed."I thought, 'Wow,'" he said. "That's all I could say."Meanwhile, Dylan's mother admits she was hesitant to apply for the show because she doesn't know if they fit the criteria."It seems like all the people they have helped are in extreme situations," Denise Schaefer said. "We need things, but we are not at that level by any means."All his parents want is a room Dylan can call his own.He lost his upstairs bedroom several years ago when he became too big for his parents to carry up and down the stairs.About two years ago, the family held fundraisers and raised enough money to transform part of their home's two-and-a-half car garage into a handicapped-accessible bathroom. But they didn't raise enough money to get a special shower.So Dylan's parents must place him in a lawn chair inside the shower."It's a lot of lifting, and David and I are getting too old," Denise said. "Our backs can't take it."As she looks around the well-maintained but cramped living room, Denise says she wishes the family could afford to build a handicapped-accessible bedroom for Dylan."Dylan basically lives in this room," she said. "So he's got no privacy. If he has friends over, we have to go sit upstairs in a room or find somewhere to go because they don't want mom and dad hanging around. Everybody needs time ...""Alone," Dylan immediately chimes in. "Alone."A long shotBrandon Andrews says Dylan became a fixture at Wheaton Warrenville South."He just cruises around," Andrews said. "Everyone likes him. He talks to everyone. He likes to get to know people."Principal Snyder said Dylan's good humor, positive demeanor and passion for sports has netted him a large group of friends, including athletes on the football and basketball teams. And as a student, he never let his physical limitations hold him back."At school, we saw his independence," Snyder said. "What I would love to see for Dylan is independence in his home. And I think he could achieve that with the right equipment."Whether "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" comes knocking on the Schaefers' door remains to be seen.One major obstacle is the limitation on what can be done to the family's townhouse. None of the exterior walls can be torn down. The family doesn't even have a ramp at the front door because they would be responsible for removing it if they ever moved. Instead, Dylan gets in and out of the home with a ramp in the garage.Denise Schaefer said she would be happy if the show simply converted half of the garage into a bedroom for Dylan."And that's why I don't think they will pick us," she said, "because we don't have a situation where they could come in a tear everything down and start over again."Representatives of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" declined to comment. The show doesn't tell people when their applications are rejected.Still, Andrews says he plans to continue posting messages about Dylan at various websites for the show's stars, including Ty Pennington's Facebook page."We'll keep trying until he gets it," he said.The bright spotSometimes when Dylan watches a football game, he imagines what it would be like to be out there on the field."I sometimes feel down about myself. Why am I in a wheelchair 24 hours a day?" Dylan said. "But I deal with it."And no matter what happens with the reality show application, Dylan at least knows that there's many in the community who support him as he prepares to join Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's transition program in the fall. He hopes to eventually take classes at College of DuPage."If it (the TV show) never comes to fruition, at least we know in our hearts that there's people out there who wanted good things for us," his mother said. "If it only makes us feel better, it was worth it."False20001212Denise Schaefer, left, said her goal is to someday build a handicapped-accessible bedroom for her son Dylan.Tanit Jarusan | Staff PhotographerFalse