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'Design Star' focuses on baby's health

Jennifer Bertrand holds 7-month-old son Winston, who gets a kiss from dad Chris Bertrand at their home in Olathe, Kansas. Winston, the Bertrands' only child, was born Feb. 20 with lymphatic and venous malformations in his neck, face and chest that create large and small masses in his cheeks and jaw line. (Tammy Ljungblad / Kansas City Star / MCT)
Jennifer Bertrand holds 7-month-old son Winston, who gets a kiss from dad Chris Bertrand at their home in Olathe, Kansas. Winston, the Bertrands' only child, was born Feb. 20 with lymphatic and venous malformations in his neck, face and chest that create large and small masses in his cheeks and jaw line. (Tammy Ljungblad / Kansas City Star / MCT)Read more
    by Stacy Downs, McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
    Published 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jennifer Bertrand celebrated two of the most joyous moments in her life in August 2008. She found out she was pregnant with her first child and two days later won HGTV's "Design Star." But this year both turned bittersweet.

Her future with the Home and Garden Television network is in question, and her 7-month-old baby's health is in jeopardy.

During the third season of "Design Star," the former elementary school art teacher became known for her bubbly personality and down-to-earth approach to design.

Bertrand's pregnancy delayed production of her own television series on HGTV, the prize of "Design Star."

Five months into her pregnancy, an ultrasound detected what seemed like a tumor on her baby's neck. Following the delivery, a team of 20 doctors and nurses performed surgery to open his airway and help him breathe.

"We want some normalcy," Bertrand said.

"It's kind of like squeezing a balloon," Bertrand explained. "The air — in this case, fluid — goes somewhere else."

"Some parents would see the no-crying thing as a pro," Bertrand said with a giggle. She laughs often, she said, because it helps her get through stressful times.

WANTING REAL DESIGN

The network didn't grandly promote her series on air as it did the ongoing shows of other "Design Star" winners. "Paint Over" ran at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday the first week of September, a time slot that didn't offer an opportunity for a wide audience.

Many interior designers — often critical of television makeover shows — considered the series refreshing and substantive. Bertrand transformed rooms in the homes of families who had experienced difficult but common challenges, such as cancer, divorce and retirement.

Bertrand is proud of "Paint Over" and hopes to tape more episodes.

"I know I have a unique hosting style that is appealing compared to what can sometimes appear to be plastic hosts," Bertrand said. "I want to do real design for real people. And I definitely want to be on television."

For now, though, HGTV has pulled the plug on the show.

HELP FROM FRIENDS

The Bertrands use health insurance and Medicaid, but that doesn't cover all medical expenses or transportation and lodging costs.

Gretchen Fisher, Bertrand's Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sister from the University of Kansas, created a meal drop-off system. Another sorority sister, Polly Peters, spearheaded an "extreme home makeover," surprising the couple by cleaning their home and sprucing up the backyard with new furniture and plants while the couple went out on a rare date.

"It's not easy to accept charity, especially from teenagers," Chris Bertrand said. "It's quite humbling."

Bertrand is creating a Web site as a resource to help other parents of ill children, www.hugsforthesoul.com. And she and local artist Alisa Ross are developing a line of clothing for children with special needs.