Chris Stoeckel is Battling ALS

In March of 2016, Chris was diagnosed with a noncancerous brain tumor (Schwannoma). On May 5, 2016, he underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor. He seemed to be recovering well, however, in December 2016 he noticed that he would stumble some when he walked. Almost like his feet didn't seem to work right and would get fatigued while working. He started to work half days at work and half days at home so, he could rest in the middle of the day. On April 28, 2017, his employer decided they were going in a different direction and eliminated his position. At this point, he was walking with the help of a cane and was starting to see many different types of doctors to figure out was causing the weakness and fatigue. After visits with 5 different types of doctors, many different blood tests, a spinal tap, full body MRIs, and five EMGs, a Neurologist that specializes in ALS determent on October 11, 2018, that it was Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/ ALS/ Lou Gehrig's Disease. Which is a fatal disease that takes away a person's ability to walk, speak, swallow, eat, and eventually breathe.Chris was the main financial supporter of the family of five. Together with his wife Vicki, they have three children. Tessa who is 19, Kayla who is 17, and Leela who is 11. They have been working hard to make small changes to their home, all while Chris's health continues to deteriorate. There are many more changes that need to be done to give Chris a safe and independent life. Currently, he has a power wheelchair that sits in their living room because the home needs to be modified to accommodate it. They are in need of a van that is handicap accessible to be able to travel to doctors appointments, every 3 months, and go on family outings. They are applying for waivers that would help with modifications but there are modifications that waivers will not cover. As well as spend down/deductible costs that come with these waivers. Vicki has already used the majority of her paid time off from her job as a special education para to help care for Chris, and they have multiple doctors appointments to still go. Also, they would like to prepare for final expenses cost as well.Chris, Vicki and his children would be very grateful for any help you are willing to offer, even if it's just sharing this fundraiser. They are trying to get their needs taken care of so that they can enjoy their time together as a family and not have to worry about the financial side of this terrible disease. LOVE TO YOU ALL!