Hi my name is Walt Anthony and I've created this GoFundMe for my cousin, Chris Raymond, an Air Force Veteran and former healthcare worker. While caring for his aged parents battling dementia, Chris was in a tragic hit-and-run car accident leaving him paralyzed and permanently in a wheelchair. Chris needs our help to raise $50,000 to regain some personal mobility and buy a vehicle that the VA will custom-fit with hand controls and wheelchair accessible. Please read Chris' full story below. Thank you much for your kindness.

Chris Raymond is a 47-year-old Air Force Veteran. In 2013, he began working as an Emergency Room Clerk/Patient Care Assistant. Four years later in 2017, Chris' mom was diagnosed with Dementia. Chris worked the 7p-7a shift at the hospital so he could help his dad care for his mom since he was not married and his daughter was 18. In 2019, as Chris' mom’s Dementia worsened; his dad began showing signs of Dementia and has now been diagnosed with Dementia. Despite being a front-line worker amid the COVID Pandemic, Chris became the primary caregiver for both of his parents.

On a random Friday in January 2021, Chris' life as he knew it changed forever.

On January 22, 2021, Chris was rear-ended by an uninsured truck only one mile from his parents’ home. Chris was thrown from his car, landed in a ditch and his car landed on top of him. When he woke, Chris was in the ICU at Memorial Hermann Hospital and was told he had a T6 Spinal Cord injury. Chris will never walk again.

Chris spent 3 months in ICU before being transferred to the TIRR Rehabilitation Unit. He was in in-patient rehab at TIRR for 3 months before being discharged. Chris moved into his parents’ 2 bedroom/ 1 bath, sixty-year-old home. Chris’ older brother stopped his life and became the primary caregiver for Chris and their parents. In October 2021, Chris was accepted into the VA’s in-patient spinal cord injury program. He was discharged 3 months later (January 2022) and moved back in with his parents after the VA installed a wheelchair ramp.

After the accident, Chris lost his job at the hospital and is now on disability. Thankfully, Chris has a healthcare aide who visits twice a day to help him get dressed in the morning and returns at night to help him get ready for bed. The shower Chris installed for his parents before his accident had a low profile for easy entrance. Unfortunately, this shower has to be reinstalled with zero clearance for Chris and his wheelchair. Chris is now in outpatient rehab three days a week using Metrolift for transportation.

Chris recently passed his driving test using hand controls. The VA has promised to pay to customize a 2023 vehicle with hand controls, wheelchair locks and removable seats IF Chris purchases the vehicle. Chris’ disability check is a little less than $2000 a month. He can not afford the $2000 to upgrade his parents’ shower let alone afford a new vehicle. All funds exceeding $50,000 will be used to remodel his parents’ home.

Chris is absolutely grateful for being alive and having his family but needs help. The accident and life events have not shaken Chris’ faith in God and in people. Will you please help Chris raise $50,000? This Veteran, front-line worker who worked during the COVID pandemic, parental caregiver and now paralyzed accident survivor thanks God daily and now thanks you too.