I am aware that there are many great families in need of the life-altering benefits that Extreme Makeover - Home Edition can create in their lives. There is, however, one family in Seabrook, Texas which has endured more heartache, uncertainty and fear in the past 16 months than most any American family would endure in a lifetime. This family is the epitome of what this show represents.

Meet the Duffey Family: Chris (Dad), Kelli (Mom), "C.J." and Caitlyn (13 year old twins) and Mikey (age 12).

On December 10, 2005, the Duffey Family faced their first horrific tragedy. C.J. Duffey, only 12 years old at the time, was returning home from his first live music concert in Houston with four of his closest friends. The driver, Daniel (17) pulled into the emergency lane of the freeway when the Chevrolet Cavalier they were riding in ran out of fuel. He put the flashers on and phoned his father to assist them. Being in an unfamiliar part of town, Daniel encouraged his passengers to wait in the car until help could arrive. As the children waited, excitedly talking about the evening's event and listening to music together, Thomas Kennedy (22) was returning home from an adult nightclub he had visited that evening.

At approximately 12:10 a.m., traveling at 70 mph, the F150 Ford truck Kennedy was driving slammed into the rear of the vehicle that the children were in. The impact was so immense that the car was shoved 96 feet down the entrance ramp to the freeway. The four-door car, with the five children inside, was virtually unrecognizable. The back seat no longer existed.

C.J. Duffey, a backseat passenger in that car, was initially pronounced dead on arrival but, miraculously, he has survived. This once very active and popular young boy now suffers from severe brain damage, unable to walk, talk or feed himself. Two of C.J.'s closest friends, Megan (14) and Janet (12), who were also in the back seat on either side of C.J., were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the other front seat passenger survived but have had to go on with the horrific memories of that night as they waited more than 20 minutes to be extricated from the vehicle with their dead and critically injured friends inside.

C.J.'s parents, Chris and Kelli, quit their jobs after the accident to provide the constant care C.J. requires. Together, these parents refused to surrender to the blows fate had dealt them. Their nearly 13 year marriage has produced a solid foundation for their close-knit family -- one of hope, faith and a love few people ever truly experience. It has taken every ounce of their time, energy, resourcefulness, and persistence to overcome the obstacles they have faced. As a team, they have not faltered in any way. Our entire community has come to adore this family as if they were our own. Anyone who has had the great fortune of meeting them can attest to their many attributes and the aura of hope and love that surrounds them.

Having fought relentlessly for the safety and security of his family, the tragedy of it all had become too much for Chris Duffey. On April 5, 2007, at only 47 years of age, Chris Duffey passed away. Kelli has lost the love of her life -- the one person who was at her side 24/7 to care for C.J. and their other two children. The Duffey children, having to live with the reality that the brother they played with growing up may never be the same again, have now lost their loving father.

With the astronomical medical bills that continue to accumulate for C.J., this family will never see a dime of any funds recovered in litigation. They are living month-by-month on limited funds from the Crime Victim's Fund which has a cap on what they will send. They will be surviving, almost entirely, on whatever social security benefits they qualify for. Daily necessities are being met on a hope and a prayer each month.

Their home is a small 1,300 square foot home which has no handicap accessibility. C.J.'s hospital bed and the mandatory medical equipment and supplies are set up in a 10 x 12 foot room at the front of the home, with a curtain draped across the entryway offering some semblance of privacy for him. He is confined to only two rooms of the house because his wheelchair will not allow him access to any other area.

With Kelli's immediate family residing hundreds of miles away, and her commitment to keep C.J. near the medical experts in the Houston area (and near his friends), she is all alone now to perform all of the daily functions and responsibilities she and Chris, just a short time ago, shared together. Every task that must be performed has now become complicated and difficult twice over. This family desperately needs a home which will accommodate C.J.'s needs and which will allow Kelli to take care of C.J., Caitlyn and Mikey on her own.

I am encouraging each and every one of you, nationwide, to sign this petition for the Duffey family's nomination to Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. Please pass this petition on to everyone that you know. I want this family to know that they are not alone... that there is an entire Nation that cares. It is time for their new beginning. Please help me to help them!
In Faith,

Kym Ann


Added On (2007-05-15):

Please visit us at http://www.duffeyfamily.com for more information on how you can help this family and to monitor our progress! Thank you and God Bless!

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