Middletown family scarred by car crash in running for HGTV's 'Extreme Home Makeover'

A Middletown family is trying to turn tragedy into hope for a teenage girl left paralyzed in a car crash.

News 12 Staff

Apr 11, 2019, 9:57 PM

Updated 1,842 days ago

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A Middletown family is trying to turn tragedy into hope for a teenage girl left paralyzed in a car crash.
Sky Mendoza's life changed forever when a November car crash claimed the life of her pregnant stepmother, Jennifer Parisella, and left Mendoza paralyzed from the neck down.
Five months later, Mendoza's family is still trying to heal while hoping Sky can return home from rehab in Albany.
The family lives in a small apartment that isn't wheelchair-accessible. But a shot at HGTV's "Extreme Home Makeover" could soon change that -- the family is in the running for a customized home for Sky.
"It would mean everything," says Mariorino. "I just feel like it'd mean the world to everyone. The whole community would love for this to happen."
Sky's only request is to make sure her room would be pink.


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