One Wagga mum experienced her very own Better Homes and Gardens moment, but there were no cameras and no celebrity guests.
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Instead, it was a group of mates, a handful of local businesses and a willingness to get the job done that saw almost a whole house renovated to surprise Robyn Mildren when she came home from surgery.
Her son Jarryd said she had been trying to renovate the house, but she needed to go into surgery to remove cancer on her bowel.
"I saw a window of opportunity to get some work done," he said.
"I asked a couple of the boys if they could give me a hand, but they organised for a whole group.
"I showed up there the following day, expecting to see a couple of people, but 15 blokes showed up."
Jarryd said, initially, he was going to just put some new stairs in, but with the mammoth effort shown by the community they were able to do so much more.
"More than 30 people were here, boys and girls, and what was meant to be 14 days work was 28," he said.
"We painted most of the house, put a new kitchen in, re-floored upstairs, put new stairs in, did the blinds and lights and the carpet. There were a few lies to mum about what was going on."
Jarryd said he was incredibly grateful to everyone who jumped up to lend a hand.
"It shows people having a bad time, that if you have a great group of mates around you, then you can do anything," he said.
Robyn said she was absolutely "blown away" by the renovation.
"I am a very proud mum, and I am grateful for so many great people who were involved," she said. "Words cannot explain how I feel."
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Jarryd wanted to thank Wagga Style House, Auto Paint and Trade, King Valley Aroma and Co, Eco Architectural Windows and Doors, Harrisons Joinery, Highway Image, Kitson Manufacturer and Solutions, Naturally Floored and TLE Electrical.
All of the businesses donated funds and resources.
Jarryd and his friend, Nick Carmichael, kicked off a raffle last week with prizes donated by local businesses to help cover medical costs.
Call 0428 951 197 to purchase tickets.