Full Circle For Chai

My name is Erin Lindenmuth, and I am the executive director of Silver Linings Foundation. We are a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit (your donation is tax-deductible). We began in 2015. The foundation is 100% volunteer; we help individuals regardless of their diagnosis, age, or where they reside in the United States. We do this at no cost.

I met Chai and his family before the foundation was even a thought. The immense love they shared for their family and willingness to do anything to help their youngest Caedyn, who has complex medical needs, was so special. It didn't take long before I thought of them as family.

The foundation has never participated in a GoFundMe. So why now? Finding one person to volunteer, let alone an entire family, is challenging!

Chai, Tria, and their sons Chance and Alex were always there, giving their time, equipment, and gifts and even helping deliver medical equipment to needy people.

Their 3rd son, Caedyn, has complex special needs. Could Caedyn have been their inspiration to help others in need? Maybe, but I know this family well, and that's just how they are.

Chai once said with sadness that he wanted to outlive Caedyn to ensure his welfare in a world where they had already experienced discrimination and exclusion. How could Chai be taken already when he had his little boy to safeguard?

Chai and Tria have been through so much, especially with Caedyn. They had just built their dream home; three months in their new home, Chai unexpectedly died in July at only 46 years old.

How do you move on from losing someone you crawled in and out of hell with when you’ve just built your dream home, only to be robbed of the person you were planning to share it with?

Tria and her beautiful boys are shattered and lost. Chai was one of the good ones; genuine, selfless, and overflowing with love and happiness. He loved helping others and was always rooting for you.

His humility was so great that people didn't know how extraordinary he was. He embodied what it truly meant to live life to the fullest: it isn’t about your assets and accolades of achievements; it’s about loving your family.

Autopsy results remain pending, delaying insurance and other necessary benefits. Tria and her boys' lives are at a standstill in the darkest waters, an uncertain future. Caedyn’s superhero is gone, and deep in his soul, he senses Chai’s absence. Her boys scrape whatever they can to continue school, to carry on their father’s legacy. What will become of everything they fought for and built together?

Chai did so much for our community and beyond; let’s bring his goodness full circle and help protect his family from more loss by donating today.

Tria and her boys are not only part of the Silver Linings Foundation family, but they are also my family as well.

Tria is now the sole provider for her family and the sole caregiver for her special needs son. Any help to assist her in moving forward is deeply appreciated.