Approximately one year ago my brother, Chris Hawthorne, and his wife, Jenna, took custody of two beautiful kiddos(9 and 5 years old). These two babies were in a tuff spot and needed a stable and loving home. Chris and Jenna welcomed them in with open arms and the kids have flourished ever since. They are heavily involved in church and love God. They have melted into our family and we love them as our own. My brother needed to add space for the children as their home is rather small. My brother does construction for a living and took out a mortgage to pay for the home addition with the intentions of doing the labor himself and using the borrowed money to pay for materials. We began the work on it last month and made pretty good progress until disaster struck. While setting up to install a beam on the second floor, my brother tripped up and fell off the second story approximately 16 feet. Myself and several men from the church watched in horror as we knew a large pile of bricks laid on that end of the house. When he fell his right leg shattered below the knee with a very bad open fracture. His head missed the large stack of bricks by approximately 4 inches. His body was beat up badly, including several large abrasions and a broken shoulder. After several hours of agonizing pain and EMS crews working to stabilize him he finally made it to the Hospital. I held my brother's hand all the way to the hospital and tried my best to comfort him as he yelled in agony. After an evaluation and several surgeries they are concerned they may have to amputate his right lower leg. The bone was exposed to air and debris for quite some time which significantly increased the chance of infection. Dr's are also concerned that his skin around the leg bone may not regrow, which would cause the bone to die. What we are primarily asking for is prayers, prayers for healing, prayers for guidance, and prayers for God's will. We are not the type of folks to ask for financial help and I've debated on making this Gofundme. One main reason I decided to make it is because of an interaction I witnessed between my brother and his wife when they first met in the trauma unit. My brother was in excruciating pain as I watched him yell in Agony. When his eyes laid upon his wife he immediately broke down in tears and said "I'm so sorry I failed you and the kids, I dont know what im going to do". He just kept repeating that phrase as if the pain went away and he could only focus on his failures. This interaction broke my heart for him but I refuse to believe that he's failed his family. God has a plan and a purpose for his life and I believe that this is just but a bump in the road. With all that being said there is serious financial need that we are trying to navigate. His house addition sits unfinished and it is currently raining inside parts of his home. He had medical insurance but because of high premiums and affordability he had a low plan thats not going to cover much. He is the financial provider for his family and wont be able to work for 6 months to a year. We are primarily asking everyone to pray for God's healing in this situation but If God lays in on your heart to support financially we are forever grateful as we try to navigate this. Thank you for your support, prayers, and compassion during this difficult time. ❤️

Update 11/1/2025 : God is great. He's really wrapped Chris in his arms this last week and has provided for him and his family. The Doctors have turned a 180 and are now optimistic that they may be able to save his leg and not have to amputate. We are asking for prayers that the skin will continue to grow around the broken bone and that no infection creeps in. There has also been talk that they may have to bolt the ankle closed if they can repair the leg because of the harsh impact it took. We are praying that the ankle will heal as well. Chris has been super emotional and I've watched the tears flow over this last week as everyone has loved on him spiritually and financially. Watching God work in his life has been amazing. Thanks for all the continued prayers and support, Love you all. -Michael