Chris's Fund
Donation protected
I am Stacy, Chris's sister, and I am writing to you today on behalf of my family to ask for your help in providing support in the form of thoughts, prayers and donations to assist Chris and his family through a very difficult time.
Chris has been ill for many years, beginning 40 years ago when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was just a teenager. While he eventually got the “all clear” in regard to cancer, it left Chris with a weakened immune system and a lifetime of rare illness. In the 1990’s Chris contracted a blood disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) , a disorder that causes his blood platelets to fall to dangerous and potentially life threatening levels. Over the years, Chris endured many bouts of high doses of Prednisone to manage his ITP. Early in the 2000’s Chris learned that the radiation he had undergone as a teenager had damaged his heart and he needed heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. Then, in 2010, Chris contracted Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a very rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks the nervous system. With this horrific disorder, Chris’ body gradually became paralyzed, beginning with his feet and working his way up his body. Chris spent almost a full year in the hospital and nursing facilities, on a ventilator, and only able to communicate through the use of a communication board. Then, to add insult to injury, Chris was diagnosed with the chronic form of this disease, called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) , and Chris continued to suffer the long-term effects of his body’s attack on itself.
To call the above pre-existing conditions is a pretty big understatement, and it means that securing life insurance for Chris is nearly impossible. Over the year that Chris was immobilized with GBS/CIDP, Chris and his family lost their business, their home and ended up declaring bankruptcy. Chris was admitted to the hospital in May for a very severe flair up of his ITP with his platelet counts down to 4000 (normal is 150,000 to 450,000), and a lingering pneumonia infection that had been recurring since February. Over the past few weeks, Chris has continued to get sicker and sicker with two episodes of cardiac failure and acute renal failure. Our family is devastated. We ask for your thoughts and prayers to carry us through this very difficult time. Also, we ask for your assistance in helping Chris’s wife, Margaret, and their son, Michael, through this difficult time. The medical bills are once again mounting and they’ve already lost all the security that they had built. Should the worst come to pass, they will also need to find a way to manage with the loss of their primary source of income, Chris’s monthly disability. Any little bit you can contribute to help them through this difficult time would mean the world to them as they navigate these difficult waters and find a new path through life. Our profound thanks to you for your thoughts and prayers for Chris.
Chris has been ill for many years, beginning 40 years ago when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was just a teenager. While he eventually got the “all clear” in regard to cancer, it left Chris with a weakened immune system and a lifetime of rare illness. In the 1990’s Chris contracted a blood disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) , a disorder that causes his blood platelets to fall to dangerous and potentially life threatening levels. Over the years, Chris endured many bouts of high doses of Prednisone to manage his ITP. Early in the 2000’s Chris learned that the radiation he had undergone as a teenager had damaged his heart and he needed heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. Then, in 2010, Chris contracted Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a very rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks the nervous system. With this horrific disorder, Chris’ body gradually became paralyzed, beginning with his feet and working his way up his body. Chris spent almost a full year in the hospital and nursing facilities, on a ventilator, and only able to communicate through the use of a communication board. Then, to add insult to injury, Chris was diagnosed with the chronic form of this disease, called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) , and Chris continued to suffer the long-term effects of his body’s attack on itself.
To call the above pre-existing conditions is a pretty big understatement, and it means that securing life insurance for Chris is nearly impossible. Over the year that Chris was immobilized with GBS/CIDP, Chris and his family lost their business, their home and ended up declaring bankruptcy. Chris was admitted to the hospital in May for a very severe flair up of his ITP with his platelet counts down to 4000 (normal is 150,000 to 450,000), and a lingering pneumonia infection that had been recurring since February. Over the past few weeks, Chris has continued to get sicker and sicker with two episodes of cardiac failure and acute renal failure. Our family is devastated. We ask for your thoughts and prayers to carry us through this very difficult time. Also, we ask for your assistance in helping Chris’s wife, Margaret, and their son, Michael, through this difficult time. The medical bills are once again mounting and they’ve already lost all the security that they had built. Should the worst come to pass, they will also need to find a way to manage with the loss of their primary source of income, Chris’s monthly disability. Any little bit you can contribute to help them through this difficult time would mean the world to them as they navigate these difficult waters and find a new path through life. Our profound thanks to you for your thoughts and prayers for Chris.
Organizer and beneficiary
Stacy Tassone Bass
Organizer
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Margaret Tassone
Beneficiary