Two Friends Help A Family In Crisis

The Early Show has partnered with Sears Kenmore-Pro to makeover the kitchen of a deserving family. From the thousands who submitted their kitchen stories, Early Show producers chose five finalists. Kristina Fordyce and Cindy Praus wrote on behalf of their friends, the Chavez family of Albuquerque, N.M.

Dear Early Show,

In my family Thanksgiving tradition is about being thankful for the blessings we have in our lives. One of the blessings that my mother and I are thankful for is friends, and because of this we write in not for ourselves but for the Chavez family, who have been our friends through good and bad.

If you had visited the home of Rocky and Josie Chavez on Thanksgiving two years ago, you would have found a home full of family, laughter, music and the smells of wonderful Spanish foods. Josie would be hard at work making food for her nine children, 23 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren who would be there giving thanks for all that they had. The kitchen would be open all day as people came and went; the men would be playing music while the children ran and played. No matter who walked in the door, they were welcomed as family.

Just over a year and a half ago, Rocky Chavez went into the hospital for a routine surgery and the Chavez family's lives changed forever. The doctor had left a sponge inside of him during the operation and after a lot of negligence by hospital staff, Rocky died from an infection.

The past year and a half have been very difficult for Josie and her family. Not only did they lose their husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, but they have gone to countless depositions regarding Rocky's death and had to relive the experience during every one.

Despite the family's tremendous loss, this year Josie will prepare their traditional dinner; the boys will gather and play music without their father; the children will run and play.

Her kitchen is small even though there is plenty of room for expansion, as she can not afford to make it larger. The appliances are old and the home is heated with a wood burning stove that takes up one corner of her kitchen. We would love to see Josie and the rest of the Chavez family enjoy this Thanksgiving with their usual traditions, and with the memory of Rocky, in a new kitchen (hopefully with a dishwasher).

— Kristina Fordyce and Cindy Praus of Albuquerque, N.M.