SOLVES IT

Not only did the 77-year-old man lose his wife to cancer, but his home was also destroyed during the winter storm, leaving him with no means to fix it.

It was a cold, cold day in February and 85-year-old Suza Walker said she was struggling to fill her crock pot full of cold water.

Just days before Christmas, Abiella Fuentes is trying desperately to bring some Christmas joy to her two beautiful children, three-year-old Sophia and five-year-old Ayvin.

Every year, KPRC 2′s Spencer Solves It Team brings a boatload of Christmas cheer to families in need in the Houston area with Christmas Miracles Week. After a detailed search, we’ve identified five deserving families who really need help this year.

Every year, KPRC 2′s Spencer Solves It Team brings a boatload of Christmas cheer to families in need in the Houston area with Christmas Miracles Week. Meet a family from Aldine who is struggling to make ends meet.

Every year, KPRC 2′s Spencer Solves It Team brings a boatload of Christmas cheer to families in need in the Houston area with Christmas Miracles Week. Meet a family from Houston who is having a hard time making ends as their family unexpectedly grows.

On a normal fall afternoon, Mark Purifoy plays with his 9-year-old autistic son Elijah at Matske Park in Houston.

At 76 years old, big Bill Callahan is a “tough-as-nails”, disabled, Vietnam veteran who served four tours of duty in the 101rst Airborne Division.

Douglas Berry lost his eyesight and became legally blind several years ago. With no health insurance, there was no way he could afford to pay thousands of dollars to have the cataract eye surgery he desperately needed. So, he contacted Bill Spencer and The Spencer Solves It Team.

Marine veteran Christopher Katthage joined the United States Marine Corps after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He served two tours in Iraq, only to come home and nearly lose his life last April, after a gunman shot him nine times right outside his Westchase apartment. Now, The Spencer Solves It team is helping Chris with one, small part of his journey back to living a normal life.

The mechanics did about $9,000 worth of work on the vehicle in about three weeks.

Scott and Jacklyn Fields are both battling horrific, health issues and big financial trouble. Now the couple has no car to get them to and from the doctor's office. The Spencer Solves It Team is going to work to help.

They are the bravest of people, all refugees from Afghanistan, who aided U.S. military forces for years.

Bill Spencer and the Spencer Solves It team help one brave vet help another brave veteran. Wait till you see what Nathanial Ingebritson lost 10 years ago.

A family is still reeling after the death of their father. Bill Spencer steps in with his brigade to spread some holiday cheer.

A Manvel musician who has struggled with work since the start of the pandemic gets early Christmas surprise for his family.

Inside a small apartment in Conroe, Taija Rubright hung Christmas ornaments with her four children, 7-year-old Ace, 6-year-old Titus, 2-year-old Easton and 3-month-old Emmy.

Sitting inside her apartment, Blessing Eregie tries to be a blessing to her five beautiful children by helping them get into the holiday spirit.

With just a few days left until Christmas morning, one mother from the Spring area decided to read a special prayer to her four beautiful children - Anthony, Aiden, Arabella, and Arielle.

17-year-old boy from Willis in desperate need of gastric bypass surgery to live a normal teenagers life. Bill Spencer needs your help this time.

Brian Shirley lost his right leg to flesh eating bacteria. He also lost his job, his home and his health insurance. In desperate need of an artificial leg to walk again, Brian contacted Bill Spencer and The Spencer Solves It team.

It is just about the last thing in the world Navy veteran Camron Meredith thought he’d be doing, being reduced to being sponge-washed like a small child by his loving wife Zaina.

“I have to admit, I never dreamed I would be living this way, living in fear for my life”, Charles Allen said. “If we don’t get some kind of help, this roof is going to fall in,” said Staci Allen, Charles Allen’s wife. “It’s going to injure or kill us.”Too proud to ask for help himself, finally a relative of Charles Allen contacted Bill Spencer and the Spencer Solves It team. The hard-working crew began ripping the old roof off and putting a brand new roof on the Allens’ home. “You saved us from that.”As for Charles Allen, he said he is deeply moved.

HOUSTON – Sitting on the couth with all five of her children, Shearle Williams fights back the tears as she looks at photographs of her loving husband, Kim. The night before Thanksgiving, Shearle got an urgent phone call from the hospital. “The kids is more sadder when I’m sad, and I’m always sad since this happened,” Shearle said. Her biggest wish is to see her children happy again and to see their spirits lifted during Christmas -- her husband’s favorite holiday. “I think it will make a big difference for my kids,” Shearle said.

Our holiday tradition here at KPRC 2 is to try and help with our “Spencer Solves It: Christmas Miracles.”Already, we’ve introduced you to several families who we surprised, and today we introduce you to the Leija family. Hurting hearts at ChristmasWay out in rural Cleveland, Texas, Danyell Leija and her four children work diligently to try and bring the Christmas spirit into their tiny, double-wide trailer home. “What I need and what I want is for my kids to finally have a smile on their face. Now as the family, they kneel before a small shrine to Lorenzo to pray for him and others in the family. And as the unpaid bills continue to pile up in front of her, Leija says her children haven’t even asked for Christmas presents, knowing there’s just no money.

HOUSTON – Zena Mikel tries her best to smile and cheer up her three grandchildren, as they decorate their Christmas tree. Our Spencer Solves It team is working to bring this family a little hope this holiday season. All of which means Zena and the children would be looking at a very bleak Christmas this year. That’s when Zena’s father contacted Spencer Solves It. We have one more thing for this family that’s been through so much.

As they have for years now, the Spencer Solves It team is working to deliver a holiday miracle for deserving families. Grandmother struggling to make ends meetRhonda Widemon reads a passage from the bible to her five beautiful grandchildren. Rhonda’s son was a devoutly religious preacher and she says he worshipped two things: God and his five children. And with Randy Hartley, a longtime member of Bill’s Brigade, we are going to give Rhonda’s kids a Christmas they won’t ever forget. “So, I’d be honored and humbled if you’d please accept this Visa gift card for $1,000 dollars.”“Oh my God, thank you, oh my God,” Rhonda said.

They said they have been getting high water bills for months and they are confused as to why. “Problems with Pearland Water Billing Systems. “Pearland water residents - fraud and need help. Many of us City of Pearland residents have multiple reports and accounts, of our water bill usage being through the roof, without account from the City of Pearland water department. There is a FB page about it, and people whose house is vacant, have $300 month water bills.

HOUSTON – It is the holiday season, the happiest season of the year, in a year like no other we have ever seen before. As they have for years now, the Spencer Solves It team is working hard to identify five incredibly deserving families to deliver a holiday miracle. Nomination FormYou can also nominate your own family if you like. Let’s make this holiday season an unforgettable one for a truly, needy family that is in danger of missing out on the celebration. Then, right before Christmas, watch KPRC 2 for five full days of Christmas miracles.

“This whole thing is devastating, to have to live this way for so long,” Charles Allen said. “The whole roof could collapse and possibly kill one of us, or hurt the kids, or kill the kids,” Staci Allen said. “We just really need some help,” Charles Allen said. The Spencer Solves It team enlisted the help of the crew at The Roof Repair Squad, a company based in Katy. “Bill, whenever you approach us, we are always ready to help,” Roof Repair Squad president Jorge Bogran, told KPRC 2 reporter Bill Spencer.

I mean, there is nothing you can do about it and when you have young children it’s I don’t know,” Heather said. Heather is a hardworking, single mother raising five children all by herself, who lost her job as a grocery store clerk back in March when the pandemic hit. “Unfortunately I am only getting $204 a week and you cannot raise your kids on $204 a week, there’s no way,” Heather said. That’s when Heather called Spencer Solves It for help. This is gonna help me out so much and it allows me to put a roof over my kids' heads,” Heather said.

Here in Texas, 4.7 million unemployment insurance claims have been processed by the Texas Workforce Commission since March 14, 2020. When she filed for unemployment insurance benefits, her claim was successfully submitted and she began receiving payments. It said that you have been overpaid unemployment benefits. We cannot pay you benefits until the overpayment is paid, Jones said of the notice she received when she logged in to file her unemployment insurance claim. So if you owe money, and you cant afford to pay it back right now, its not going to go to collections.

Since then, Raquel said she has dedicated herself to working hard and raising her five beautiful children. A month without pay, forget about it and now its going on five months with no pay, Raquel said. So thats when Raquel decided to contact Spencer Solves It. Now, the Spencer Solves It team is working on finding a trustworthy, honest, auto repair shop to donate both a new engine and their labor costs to give Raquel a new engine. For a woman who has worked so long and so hard, we think at Spencer Solves It think it is high-time someone step-up and help her out for a change.

They were hoping to qualify for Houston’s rental assistance program, but it ran out of money in less than an hour. But there is help available. Another organization that is offering low-income families with help paying rent and utilities is Catholic Charities. “I’ve worked in non-profits and this need is so large.”The assistance is available to qualified people in Houston’s ten metro counties. We also found a comprehensive list of help available in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller counties, as well as help available from United Way where you can search for what’s available in your neighborhood.

HOUSTON – Several months ago, the La Porte Texans football and cheerleading teams began raising money to buy close to 300 specially designed, team T-shirts, in red, white and blue. The shirts that were delivered were either misprinted, not printed at all or were faded with running ink. As members of the Texas Inner City Football League, the La Porte Texans are already struggling financially, but losing the little money they have was heartbreaking. The La Porte Texans are a junior football organization that operates five junior football teams and three different cheerleading squads for kids between 5 and 13 years old. After hearing what happened to the La Porte Texans, company president Norman Stalarow couldn’t wait to give these young players and cheerleaders all the shirts they want.

You see, every day, Sharon Tillotta must pulverize her food into a soggy, lumpy mush just to be able to eat it. Right away, we brought her to see Dr. Terri Alani, one of Houston’s most respected dentists. So we call on both Dr. Terri Alani and Dr. Steven Koo, a well respected oral surgeon. The entire project costs roughly $12,000, but both Dr. Alani and Dr. Koo did it for free. We at Spencer Solves It want to thank both Dr. Terri Alani and Dr. Steven Koo for all of their miraculous work and their generosity.

HOUSTON – Diamonique Sloan, her husband, Cordero, and their four small children walk down a lonely road in Southeast Houston. The struggle continues for Diamonique, Cordero, 4-year-old Cordero Jr., 3-year-old Jaylon, 2-year-old Elijah and Lyric, just 4 months old. The clip wasn't even on the gun, but there was a bullet in the chamber and he never knew it,” Diamonique Sloan said. Diamonique and Cordero Sr. never asked for help. Now, it’s the moment for giving, as Hartley presented Diamonique and Cordero Sr. with two Visa gift cards for a total of $1,000.

So with nowhere else to turn, Lawson contacted Spencer Solves It. Within days, we brought in two loyal and generous members of Bill’s Brigade -- Lessman Roofing And Sheet Metal, and Spec Building Materials. Now the guys at Lessman begin the hard work of building Lawson an entirely new roofing system. Next, the coolest part, Spec Building Materials donated 4,000 square feet of a brand-new type of thermal-plastic roofing material called thermoplastic olefin, or TPO. We want to thank both Gene Lessman, at Lessman Roofing And Sheet Metal, and Chris Carmichael, at Spec Building Materials, for all of their hard work and generosity.

“It’s difficult for me to walk long distances … to stand for long periods of time. So, with nowhere else to turn, the Moores wrote to Spencer Solves It. Right away, we towed the busted vehicle to the good people at Christian Brothers Automotive in the Energy Corridor. The, the team of professionals at Christian Brothers thoroughly went over every part of that vehicle, checking everything. If you need help with a problem you can’t possibly solve by yourself, contact Spencer Solves It at 713-223-TIPS (8477) or email us at solvesit@click2houston.com.

“It’s hard to ask for help, but when you got to have help you’ve got to have help,” Richard said, with his voice shaking and tears in his eyes. They had no food in the house and had stopped taking the numerous prescription drugs they need because they couldn't afford to buy more. “It just broke my heart when I saw their empty refrigerator and pantry”, says Carrie Marquis, who called $200 to the struggling couple. Now, the Sullivans have a kitchen filled with food and the money they need to buy the prescription drugs they need. If you need help with a problem you can’t possibly solve by yourself, contact Spencer Solves It at 713-223-TIPS (8477) or email us at solvesit@click2houston.com.

HOUSTON – At 55 years old, Annette Shelby is a disabled former cafeteria worker who literally does not have a leg to stand on. Her prosthetic leg looks like an old ripped-up piece of boat dock. “In the name of Jesus, I ask you, dear Lord, to send me a new leg, to send some help. Now, the specialists are fitting Annette for a brand-new prosthetic leg. When Annette actually receives her brand-new prosthetic leg, we will bring that story to you on Channel 2 News.

HOUSTON – At 50 years old, Lacy Kovacs is taking on the biggest job of her life, rebuilding her small, 1,200-square-foot, flood-ravaged home on the lower San Jacinto River. Now, except for a little help from a couple of good friends, Kovacs is working virtually alone to replace all of the plumbing, drywall, rotten flooring and appliances. She lost her only son, Brandon, a veteran firefighter and paramedic, who died from a lung embolism at just 25 years old, and this house was meant to be Brandon’s house. “The doctors told me, without treatment, they give her three to six months to live,” Kovacs said, wiping away tears. So, Kovacs' friends, not Kovacs, called Spencer Solves It.

All his life, David Espinosa has loved two things above everything else: the United States of America and the Air Force.

That dirt builds up and blows into Huston’s house every day through a series of big cracks and gaps in her windows. Right away, we contacted John Litsey, a window expert and the owner of Window City. He said Huston’s windows are very poor quality and were installed horribly wrong. Now, we at Spencer Solves It want to send out a giant thank you to both the folks at Window City and the hard working crew at Budget Home Services. If you need help with a problem you can’t possibly solve by yourself, contact Spencer Solves It at 713-223-TIPS or email us at solvesit@click2houston.com.

HOUSTON – Emma Avila, who is just 8 years old, has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. “My little girl doesn’t smile anymore. She doesn’t smile for pictures. Spencer Solves It took Emma to one of Houston’s highest-rated orthodontists, Dr. Amir Davoody, of Greater Houston Orthodontics. The plan is to spread Emma’s teeth with new braces.

With Spencer Solves It, Channel 2 Investigator Bill Spencer is here to help. He's taking on our viewer's biggest consumer issues, working to find a solution and solve the problem with help from the community.