C+J's Family Time & Recovery Fund

Our Story

Hi, there.  I'm Chris - a gaming and graphic arts enthusiast known as different names attached to usernames or characters through many online communities.  The last while has been extremely taxing on myself and my partner of 2.5 years, Jereme, with being faced with life-and-death situations multiple times in the last month.

Pictured: Myself.  Not picture: Jereme, because of his line of work.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

September 5th, 2015.  I've been living in Houston, TX for a little over a couple years and a lot has happened - I haven't seen my family since 2011 when I moved out of state. Vacation time isn't something that I've accrued, as I try to work my way up the pay scale to make the cost of living easier for myself and my partner; and, so I can afford time off to to return to see my family in Missouri.  On this night, I receive a call from my Mother informing me that my Grandfather has gone to the hospital after having severe chest pain. They had found a blood clot forming in his heart.  Fortunately, he is okay and will recover; but the urgency to find the time and funds to see my family has been at the forefront of my thoughts for the better part of two years and is becoming a immediate necessity.  Previously, in 2012, my grandfather had a heart attack and stroke and his life changed dramatically as a result. Because of not being able to afford time off, I've been unable to make the 600+ mile trip to see him.  Things had begun to fall into place so that I could make this happen soon, but then...

A day later, on September 6th, 2015, my partner and I were coming back to Houston from New Waverly, TX (about 60 miles away) after doing work on his Grandparent's old house on his family's land. His Stepfather goes to dialysis every other day and his condition is deteriorating every week. In addition to needing to be close for his Mother when his Stepfather passes, bills have begun to pile up, so we're moving into his Grandparent's empty house next door, who passed away close to 10 years ago. We've been excited to help clean the house up and be close to family, again, and Jereme is in the process of transferring to a new job that is closer to our new home.

While southbound on I-45, we were about to pass a nondescript 18-Wheeler in another lane when it's tire ruptured and blew out. The debris hit our car, then went under us, causing our car to spin out of control into another car. We slammed into the cement guard between ourselves and ongoing traffic, totalling our car.


Our little Nissan Versa gave it all she had :(

Several people came to check on us, and by some miracle we were okay.  I have a really bad seat belt burn and some bruising; my partner has some bruising, scrapes and blisters on his left arm from the airbag release. We refused ambulance care because of the bills that it would mean - and I myself am unemployed with no health insurance at this time because we thought we were going to be moving for Jereme's job a lot sooner than it ended up being.

Not seen: gross dark yellow/purple bruising scattered across the rest of my body.

Emotional Whiplash

Jereme's Father and Stepmother managed to co-sign for each other in order to get us a new car.  We were unable to sign for ourselves because we're behind on bills from all the craziness that has happened and the need for emergency funds, trying to manage the move, awaiting new employment myself and Jereme's new job. The car note for the new car is $150 more a month, his insurance will be going up and we have no lead on who the trucker was in the 18-wheeler: He kept going, he never stopped, so the car that we spun into may well be paid out from Jereme's insurance.

A day later, on September 7th, 2015, Jereme received a call from his Mother to tell him that she had taken his Stepfather to the hospital. He was in really bad condition, and is being monitored for a lot of fluid that has built up in his abdomen, which they drained and are testing. We're unsure of the cause, but only know that his health is only deteriorating over time.


So What Am I Funding?

Not to be melodramatic, but things are at their darkest right now, and we're still awaiting the dawn.  My grandfather's health is of concern and I haven't seen my family in 4 years.  Jereme's Stepfather's health is deteriorating; our bills are rising every month; and many things are a giant question mark.  Hope was at an all-time high, and then in the span of a week, everything came crashing down. We have to finish moving and have continued to prepare to do so regardless of the shock of our near death experience in the wreck - we simply can't afford to stop and rest.  

So what will the funds from this Go Fund Me help towards?  Here's how the funds would be split up, by where money needs to go first, and where it would preferably go later, depending on the success of this Go Fund Me campaign:

1.) Finishing the transition from our apartment (whose new management raised the rent of; un-negotiable) to Jereme's Grandparent's house 60 miles away.

2.) Any medical attention/check-ups needed if latent injuries from the accident crop up.  Many injuries from vehicular accidents don't show up until later.

3.) Repairs needed to Jereme's grandparent's aging house that we're moving into; including fixes to the plumbing and leaks.

4.) A trip to see my family for the first time in four years; to see my Grandfather while I still can; to introduce my partner to them before it's too late.

5.) Pay in full a few bills that will take some pressure off of us on a monthly basis; including a loan we had to take out when we moved into our current apartment on a same day notice (the eviction was related to our being a gay couple).

6.) A buffer towards the increase in the car note payment and insurance.

3b.) I also get to see my cat, Salem, who I miss very much. She currently resides in the care of my Mother.


Salem, with the most adorable eyes ever.


Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Life, man. But what can you do? You can't stop - sometimes that just isn't a choice, no matter how bad things seem. We've been together for two and a half years, my partner and I.  We've made it through a lot.  We've begun much together, and we want to finish things together.  Two days later, we've driven over 100 miles our new car that his Father and Stepmother had to get in their names for us; we went to visit his Stepfather in the hospital, and Mother who lives with knowing his condition every day.  And we know that we can't give up; we can't stop for anything to finish what we're doing.  That's life.  But we also know we could use help.  A lot of help.  And while we never considered doing something like this before, now is the time - if there ever were a time - to be open to the possibilities.


Thank you for reading this; for any consideration however large or small; for any donation; for spreading the word; for your time. 


Best Regards,

Chris & Jereme*

*Kelzam & Castian to the WildStar Community