2021-11-17 17:38:09
Update: This is NOT a vaccine death
Thank you to everyone who generously donated and shared my cousin Christopher’s GoFundMe out of compassion and kindness. My family and Chris’s friends are so grateful. Thank you to the two military friends of his who set it up for him. Because of them almost $22,000 was raised. Doing a fundraiser was the furthest thing from our minds when Chris went into the hospital in Thailand. Thank you again to everyone who donated to Chris, we love you
This last 6 days have been a whirlwind to say the least. On Monday, my uncle Gary was found dead at home of an apparent heart attack we think. Gary was my mother’s brother and he was such a kind man. Because my Great-grand father owned a marina, Gary loved boats and spending time by the water. Growing up we often spent time at his house and on his boats. He was a big kid at heart. A very gentle guy. We will all miss him so much.
We have been frantically trying to get Christopher to a private hospital that could care for him the way he needed and deserved. Over the weekend his mother Rose found the hospital she wanted him to be transferred to. In Thailand hospitals require cash or credit card payments to continue care. The hospital said they needed a $15,000 deposit before they would take him. We were prepared to pay that, but the doctor at the hospital he is at would not release him. This has been frustrating to say the least. They said he needed more care than they could offer, but they wouldn’t allow him to be moved and they weren’t giving him the care. The US embassy was no help at all. We called and text every person we could who we thought would be able to help in the situation. We just wanted to get him moved to either the VA hospital in Guam or a private hospital in Bangkok. We had some great leads from friends offering to help, but in the end Chris had a Medical evacuation flight approved via his military medical insurance. We got the news yesterday morning that he was going to be evacuated from Thailand and taken to a Army hospital in Texas that has an ICU trauma unit. The joy we felt was like nothing else. When his mom told me, I felt so optimistic as did she. We laughed and cried with mixed emotions. We just needed Chris to survive the flight back to the US.
Sadly, Christopher passed away yesterday afternoon before the med Vac reached him. I can’t begin to tell you how heartbroken we all are. I am at a loss for the right words. Chris was not just family to me. He was one of my best friends. We often spoke for hours at a time on video no matter where we were. He was one of us. He was a freedom fighter. We connected on so much we often joked he was the male version of me. I just can’t imagine him not being here. I can’t understand how this happened to him of all people.
Chris joined the US Army at 17 years old. He served as an Infantryman out of loving compassion for his country, until his time in the military was cut short by an improvised explosive device. He sustained serious injuries that made him a disabled veteran. He received the Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
After almost losing his life and recovering from his injuries at Walter Reed Army Hospital and being separated from the service, Christopher moved to Thailand to start a new life and recuperate from the stresses of war.
It is still too soon to know exactly what caused his organ failure because the hospital hasn’t been transparent, though we have an idea.
Chris was hilarious, honest, patriotic, compassionate and a family guy. He loved his family and friends so much. I noticed after speaking to some of his friends today that we all had one thing in common with Chris. It was that if we were on the phone with him, you would be on talking to him for hours. He and I spoke so much and at times he would call my phone 10 times in a row until I picked up. He thought it was funny. I don’t know who else
I will speak to the way we used to. I will miss his rants and silly and slightly offensive jokes. We would laugh at stories from back in the day.
21.4K viewsedited 14:38
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