Louise Soussa in the kitchen of her Bedford home
By Melissa Moyle
It was a Mum’s desire to help that thrust hit renovation show Matt and Kim to the Rescue into the spotlight.
Louise Soussa, of Bedford, was an executive in the mining industry when her will to help family friends spawned the idea of a renovation show.
The Napoli family, who Louise knew through a friend of a friend, had a 9-year-old son with a brain tumour.
The family was under severe financial strain with their son needing several operations, radiation treatment and even a trip to America in the hope of saving his life.
Initially, Louise and her friends were just contributing in any way possible, including running fundraising events, cleaning their house and looking after the Napoli family’s daughter.
The Napoli’s daughter had expressed dislike for their family home and said she wanted to move in with the Soussa’s instead.
After hearing this, Louise put herself to work, emailing all her contacts to share the Napoli family’s story, attaching images and speaking from the heart.
“I’m a bit of a lover of The Block and home renovation shows and I knew about Matt and Kim…they actually live in the next suburb from me,” said Louise.
Matt Di Costa and Kim Owen had won The Block in 2013 and were looking to get their own show up and running but things had stalled.
Louise emailed Matt through his business Skyhigh Rendering and the next day received a message saying he would love to help the family out.
When Channel Nine jumped on board, the idea started to get off the ground.
Their next obstacle was to secure the sponsorship of IKEA.
After making a promo video where Louise and another friend poured their hearts out and detailed the Napoli family’s struggles, IKEA agreed to sponsorship of around $40,000.
The show rated so highly it was aired nationally on prime-time television.
Producer Laki Baker said Perth audiences love to see positivity and someone’s life changed for the better, which is exactly what Matt and Kim to the Rescue sets out to do.
Channel Nine was so impressed with Louise’s efforts, she is now an associate producer on the show.
The next Matt and Kim to the Rescue special is due for release in October.