Kubena's makeover home featured on ACS home tour
By BURLON PARSONS bparsons@journal-spectator.com

Staff Photo by Burlon Parsons The Kubena family will have their Extreme Makeover: Home Edition residence built in 2006 open for this year's ACS Christmas Tour of Homes. Family members pictured are, from left, Tara, Brady, Kelly, Sara, Monica and John Kubena.

The East Wharton County Unit of the American Cancer Society will host its biannual Christmas Tour of Homes from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9.

This year two of the three homes are in East Bernard and the third in Lissie.

Featured on the tour are the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition residence of John and Monica Kubena, 18618 CR 270 in East Bernard, Harlan and Nena Boettcher's Texas country ranch home at 17502 Highway 90A in East Bernard, and the ranch-style home of Dan and Maryan Gertson at 1105 CR 271 in Lissie.

Refreshments will be served for tour goers at the Wharton County Historical Museum.

Tickets for the event are $10 each and will be available, with maps, at any of the homes the day of the tour. Tickets are also available at the Wharton County Historical Museum, Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, B&K Furniture in East Bernard and sold during the Shop the Block event in East Bernard on Thursday, Dec. 6.

Staff Photo by Burlon Parsons The Kubena home will feature two large trees decorated with ornaments the family has collected through the years.

Built in 2006, the Kubena home was built by the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crews and volunteers to meet the needs of a large family with a child facing her second bout with leukemia.

Twins Tara and Sara first fought the disease as infants. Tara was two and one half, and Sara was 3. They were in remission until Tara suffered a relapse in 2005.

Undergoing a bone marrow transplant, Tara faced a long road to recovery. That recovery needed to be in a home free of airborne contamination.

That meant she could not return to the three-bedroom trailer which was the family's residence.

After hearing about the family's plight, the makeover team presented them with a new and healthier home.

Tara returned home and had classes by live television with her classmates in her own "learning room."

Both girls are now in remission and thriving. Tara has joined her sister back in a regular classroom setting.

Now the home is much as it was when finished by the team with the exception of personal items added by the Kubena family.

For the tour, the entire home will be open to the public. It will feature two large Christmas trees decorated with family ornaments plus smaller trees in each room.

Monica will have her trees decorated with ornaments the family has collected through the years. Some are from the family's first Christmas together.

The large, sprawling home is now home to not only Tara and Sara, 9, but Brady, 19, and Kelly, 11. One son, John Jr. is serving his second year in the U.S. Navy.

The contemporary country flavor of the home is accented with old farm tools. It is a home with country charm and modern accents.