2. Claremont
Celebrity helps family
Randy and Amy Stoen, whose
3-year-old daughter, Madelaine, has a rare form of cancer, appeared on the "Oprah" show Monday, where the acerbic "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell announced he was giving the couple $162,000 to pay of their mortgage.
Randy Stoen’s parents had no idea the couple would be on national TV until a local television news crew showed up at their home before "Oprah" started.
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Betty Stoen, Randy’s mother, said Cowell’s gift will take a tremendous burden off the couple.
"That will be a big help knowing they are not going to be losing their house," she said.
According to Madelaine Stoen’s
CaringBridge Web site, she was diagnosed last month with alveolar
rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. She has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments and will soon start radiation. The family makes daily trips to Rochester for treatment.
Cowell told the couple the mortgage payment is just the start. According to the Oprah show’s Web site, Cowell told the Stoens "it doesn’t stop there. If there’s any problem, I’m her guardian angel now."
