MARBLEHEAD – When news spread through town that ABC had passed over the Gilligan family for a spot on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, family friends and supporters decided they were not going to accept no for an answer.The Gilligan Family Alliance, headed by Paul Silva and Kat Knight, decided to take matters into their own hands and do something to improve the lives of the Gilligans.The GFA launched www.gilliganfamilyalliance.com last week, a Web site designed to solicit donations, volunteers and maybe most importantly to allow visitors to leave comments which are forwarded to the Marblehead Selectmen and ABC in the hopes the Gilligan family could be reconsidered for the show.”Patrick and Amy Gilligan are my neighbors and friends. Given the burdens which they face on a daily basis, they amaze us all with their resiliency and upbeat natures. I am proud to be involved in this effort to rekindle the possibility of improving their situation,” Silva said. “The benefit to their special needs’ children would almost be immeasurable. I encourage anyone not familiar with the story behind the Gilligan Family Alliance to peruse this Web site and learn the story that has inspired so many of us.”Parents Patrick and Amy Gilligan do not complain about their problems, they just struggle day-to-day with everything life has thrown at them.Their only son, Jackson, suffers from autism; daughter Karlyn has cystic fibrosis; and daughter Allison, who had lost the function of both kidneys, was on dialysis for a year before receiving a kidney transplant from her father.Not to be lost in all of this is oldest daughter, Alexandra, who, according to the Web site has had the greatest understanding of all the Gilligan kids as to the depth and seriousness of her siblings’ health and who has always cared about someone else’s needs before her own.The way the house is set up, Karlyn and Allison share one bedroom, Alexandra and Jackson another and the parents’ master bedroom is in the basement next to the washer and dryer.Part of the back of the house has been removed because of mold growth and the family has had to replace parts of walls to eliminate mold.”I don’t pretend to know why these things have happened for my family. I am not mad, because the children, Amy and I were lucky enough to have such a blessing that I wouldn’t trade this situation for anything in the world,” Patrick Gilligan said. “Then when you find out what our friends and neighbors want to do for us, you really take stock in the fact we are just blessed in so many ways. It might be outside the box, but we are truly blessed nonetheless.”Patrick and Amy Gilligan say giving up or moving is not an option for their family.”While ABC could have done something we never could do, this is our home,” Amy said. “We are both from Marblehead and my mother lives about a mile and a half from here. Marblehead is our home and no matter what, it is absolutely possible to do this ourselves.”That is exactly what the GFA and www.gilliganfamilyalliance hopes to do.”We are so excited about the launch of the Gilligan Family Alliance Web site. We have an extraordinarily passionate and dedicated group of Marbleheaders ready, willing and more than able to tear down any obstacle, jump every hurdle and get the job done,” Knight said. “Our group is growing daily and with the Web site, will continue to grow outside of Marblehead’s confines.”Knight says the main purpose of the Web site is obviously to help the Gilligans but says it was also created to help promote awareness to all of diseases afflicting the children.”I’ve never seen a more beautiful Web site, and to have it dedicated not only to helping the Gilligans realize a dream, but also to increased awareness of autism, cystic fibrosis, renal failure and organ donation is an incredible opportunity for our community, and those we touch, to help,” Knight said. “I know that the Gilligan family will probably be more excited about the prospect of increased donations to fo