Chris Covington Benefit Fund

Friends, Family, and Community -

To know Chris Covington is to love him and Chris is loved by so many people in so many different communities. He’s a larger-than-life guy who brings encouragement to everyone around him and has spent a lifetime pushing other men to reach their full potential, making them better people in so many ways.

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, Chris came home from his regular shift at the fire department with excruciating abdominal pain. Chris’s wife Ariel took him to Piedmont urgent care to seek treatment on that same day. Piedmont urgent care performed x-rays and Chris learned that he may have a bowel obstruction. He was then transferred to Piedmont Athens Regional for further evaluation and treatment. Piedmont Athens Regional performed additional tests which revealed that Chris had a tennis ball-sized tumor above his bladder and a mass on his liver. Oncology specialists informed Chris that he had a Stage 4 gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and he was immediately admitted to the hospital for additional testing and IV medications. Chris’s medical team decided that surgery should be scheduled as soon as possible to remove the tumor and potentially remove a section of his liver. Chris remained in the hospital until Saturday, August 12th and was released with surgery pending. Preop was scheduled for Wednesday, August 15th and surgery was August 18th. Chris went back for surgery at 7:00 AM on August 18th, anticipating a 2-hour surgery, but unfortunately, the surgery did not go as planned and he did not come out of surgery until around 4:00 PM. While in surgery, doctors discovered that the tumor was larger than they originally believed. The tumor had perforated and attached to his appendix, bladder, another section of the small intestine and colon. They removed one section of the bowel, two sections of the small intestine, and lining from his appendix, bladder, and intestines. They also discovered that his liver has three additional spots, four total, so they could not remove any of his liver during this surgery. Chris was in general recovery until August 23rd and was then discharged to go home where he has 6-8 weeks of recovery ahead. His post-surgery follow-up and chemotherapy consults are scheduled for August 29th. Chris anticipates beginning Gleevec chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the masses on his liver. If his body does not respond positively after 6 months of treatment, monitoring and testing, then doctors will likely change to another chemotherapy treatment plan. Containing the cancer to his liver, while also shrinking it so that it can be fully removed, is the goal. If the cancer spreads, then other treatment plans will have to be considered.

Physical fitness is a huge part of Chris’s life. He is very active and he makes his living in fields that require working outdoors and oftentimes in extreme conditions. Due to his illness, Chris is completely out of work for an unknown period of time. Chris is one of the strongest people I know, both physically and mentally, and although we believe that Chris will ultimately fight through this, medical bills and everyday expenses will continue to pile up while he is sick and unable to work. These funds will go directly to the Covington family to help with medical and everyday expenses.

Chris is 37 years old and is married to his wife Ariel. They have two children, Aivah (16) and Connor (8). The Covingtons recently moved to Jackson County (GA) but were long-time residents of Putnam County (GA) in the Lake Oconee area. Chris grew up in Gwinnett County and is a 2004 graduate of Brookwood High School where he was a star football and baseball player. Chris was drafted out of high school by the Pittsburg Pirates in the 2004 MLB draft but later went on to pursue his love for football. He excelled in his collegiate football career and was an All-American linebacker at Georgia Southern University where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 2009.

Since college, Chris has worked full-time in the public safety field as both a firefighter and law enforcement officer. He is currently a senior firefighter at Putnam County Fire Department, assigned to Truck 30. Chris has previously worked at Rockdale County Fire Rescue, Greene County Sherriff’s Office and Monroe Police Department, where he was a member of the S.W.A.T. team. Chris is also a certified Georgia Smoke Diver (#944); an elite group of firefighters and arguably the most rigorous training available to the American fire service. In addition to working in public safety, Chris is also part of the outdoor sales team at Total Pro Roofing where he performs roof inspections and logistics for roof repairs and replacements.

Let’s all show up to help Chris pull through this difficult time by blessing the Covington family financially so that they can focus all of their energy on Chris’s treatment plan, beating this cancer and returning to a normal life!