POCATELLO – When Sandi and Nathan Rowe walked into their newly renovated house in Pocatello with their 13-year-old daughter Annalee on Saturday afternoon, surprise streamed out the front door.
“Oh my god, it’s like it’s someone else’s house,” Sandi could be heard saying from outside.
The Rowe family were returned to their new home on Saturday, and while Sandi knew they would expect a remodel, she had no idea the entire house would be renovated.
“I knew they would do things, but – I’m a Walmart girl and all of these people aren’t Walmart people, so it was just so much more than I expected,” she told EastIdahoNews.com
With support from the entire East Idaho community, Anderson Hicks Group, an Idaho Falls-based real estate company, completely renovated the Rowe home – a project that spanned the summer.
Sandi and her eldest daughter spent much of the last seven months at the Primary Children’s Hospital, where Annalee was being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer that originates in the patient’s bone marrow. Because of these extended stays in Salt Lake City, Saturday night was the first night the entire family had stayed under one roof since February 27, according to Sandi.
Annalee, who was diagnosed in December 2019, has undergone nearly two years of treatment that included a bone marrow transplant where she received a donation from her eight-year-old sister Bellana.
Annalee’s grandmother, Sandi’s mother, Lani VanderBeek is a real estate agent at Anderson Hicks Group and played a huge role in the remodel.
The six Rowes, including five-year-old Zaylia and ten-year-old Vander, previously lived in a two-bedroom maisonette. But they found a house that suited them and were able to negotiate a deal by buying the house at the above price without it ever going on the market.
Not long after the purchase, VanderBeek was showing Kris Bertagnolli, Chief Revenue Officer of the Anderson Hicks Group, through what she called “well used”.
VanderBeek described the house as being straight from 1977, the year it was built, with shag-style carpets, yellow linoleum, yellow paneling, and classic yellow kitchen furniture.
“It had been loved, but nothing had been updated,” she said.
According to VanderBeek, after knowing Annalee’s story after visiting the house, Bertagnolli said that the company would take care of the house. VanderBeek assumed he meant cleaning, painting, and maybe new carpets. Instead, Bertagnolli collected donations and support from local businesses for a complete renovation.
Bertagnolli didn’t take any short cuts along the way, VanderBeek said, and even pulled out of the Anderson Hicks Group’s coffers when the donated money ran out.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said VanderBeek. “I didn’t understand and I still don’t.”
With the work and expertise of local contractors, the walls were removed – the dining room moved across the house, leading to Sandi’s dream bathroom.
Sermon Service and Electric donated approximately $ 15,000 to replace a plumbing system improperly installed more than 40 years ago, VanderBeek said.
“The coolest thing about it was that not only our team comes together, but also the community, for a girl they don’t know personally,” said Anderson Hicks Group spokeswoman Cami Empey.
The establishment of the home had problems that needed to be resolved, as did the electrical infrastructure.
“We had contractors, great contractors, who came and donated work, donated workers,” Bertagnolli said. “It was East Idaho. That was an event in east Idaho, which was really cool. “
Then came the furniture and appliances, donated again.
The Rowes house has been upgraded with top of the line products including a completely renovated whirlpool kitchen, compliments from Pocatello Electric.
Pocatello Electric’s Nic Paz said his company took the chance to help the Rowe family. After finding out what the family needed five days ago, he was able to get the donation from Whirlpool and have all the equipment installed.
The Rowes renovated kitchen with brand new whirlpool appliances donated by Whirlpool and Pocatello Electric. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahohNews.com
Jared Goody of the Ashley Home Store said Ashley is always ready to attend events like this. The company donated a dining room set, two living room sets and other furniture.
“It was child’s play for us,” he says. “We are always looking for opportunities like this. When we heard the story and saw everything the Rowe family had been through, we seized the opportunity. “
The Rowes are sitting at their new dining table with Jared Goody from Ashley Furniture. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahohNews.com
Aside from all the fancy devices, Bertagnolli was more enthusiastic about one thing than any other.
“Annalee’s only wish was, ‘I want to find my own room, I want my own room.'”
Sandi said that Annalee loved her room, as did her three siblings. But when asked who loved the remodel most, Sandi admitted she probably was – although Lani jumped around and waved her arms while Sandi thought.
“They are very excited about their bedrooms, which they have shared for so long,” said Sandi.
Sandi and Annalee won’t have much time to enjoy their new home before returning to Salt Lake City.
The Rowes found out last month that Annalee’s cancer had returned. Now she’s undergoing a newer treatment – CAR T-Cell Therapy, which removes and “encodes” some of Annalee’s white blood cells, as Sandi described it, to detect and kill cancer cells.
“You use your own immune system to fight cancer, it’s a treatment that I think you’ve been working on for the last 15 years,” Sandi said. “Maybe one day it will replace chemotherapy.”
When asked how her family got through this difficult time, Sandi spoke about the support she had received from her church. Your Latter-day Saint congregation donated their time and volunteered to help demolish the interior of the home. You have also supported the family spiritually.
“You really did (pray for us) and we felt it,” she said. “Many people assume that this is the worst time of our lives. For me I had worse, not because the things that happened were worse, but because I didn’t feel these prayers behind us and support us – that really gets us through. “
After the family tour of the house, the Rowe family celebrates with volunteers who made the renovation possible. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahohNews.com
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