Read more: Community, Braveheart Walk, March, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Horry County, Derrick and Amanda Suggs
The Suggs familiy of Horry County is about to step into a limosine to head out on vacation, following what's known as the "Braveheart Walk."
The Braveheart Walk is when the builders and designers march toward the home they'll be demolishing. The walk is way to bring everyone together and kick off the building of the home.
The family will be whisked away to Disney World while the builders and designers spend the next 7 days building them a new home.
Monday morning, Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team knocked on the door of the Suggs family.
Their story is an amazing one. Derrick and Amanda Suggs of Loris had just started their own family when they adopted her siblings to prevent them from being separated in foster care.
28-year old Derrick and 26-year-old Amanda have two children of their own, 5-year-old Walker and 9-month-old Mason. They've also adopted Amanda's three younger brothers, 19-year-old James, 17-year-old Jacob, and 10-year-old Jordan.
The family lives in a home Derrick inherited from his grandfather. Built in 1953, it came with a long list of repairs, including a leaking roof, outdated and exposed electrical wiring, a rotting foundation, and broken and cracked asbestos siding on the outside of the house.
At a very young age, Amanda was forced to take on the role of a mother figure for her siblings. The children were often left alone for extended periods of time. Because her family moved so often, the children were frequently out of school. Between missing school and caring for her siblings, Amanda fell so far behind that she dropped out of school after the seventh grade. At 16, Amanda reached out to her aunt for help, and she agreed to take care of Amanda and the two oldest boys. Living with her aunt helped Amanda get her life back on track, and within three months, she received her GED and began community college classes.
When she turned 18, she moved to Myrtle Beach to continue her college education. She met Derrick, they married, and soon welcomed their first son. Shortly after, her brother told her that her siblings were being taken away from their parents and placed in foster care. Without hesitation, Derrick and Amanda brought the boys to live with them.
Derrick is an Horry County police officer who created community outreach team within his district. He's also set up various youth activities like "Shop with a Cop," which takes underprivileged youth to buy toys and clothes.
Stay with NewsChannel 15 and CarolinaLive.com for much more on the Suggs family and the new home the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Team will build them over the next week.
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