My name is Ariel Warner, I’m Chris Mervin’s cousin and lifelong friend. I’m creating this GoFundMe specifically for Chris’s wife, Cyndy, and their four wonderful children- Julia (16), Gabrielle (15), Jaxen (14) and Alexandria (9). The last 25 days of their lives have been extremely traumatic, culminating in the devastating loss of Chris this morning, 4/28/2026. Before going into detail about what happened during those 25 days, here is the current situation:

Chris was 38 years old and had no major health issues other than a recent bad knee that gave him hell the last couple of years. He provided the primary income for the household, and Chris did not have any life insurance. He believed since he was never sick and he worked from home (didn’t drive much) that he didn’t need it. If he had known what was coming, he absolutely would have made sure his family was covered. I know he was panicking about this when he first received what he understood was likely a terminal diagnosis. When I last spoke with him, his number one concern was his children.

Since Chris was admitted in the hospital, his wife Cyndy has been out of work to be by Chris’s side and take care of their children, so she hasn’t been able to work in almost a month. To add insult to injury, Cyndy’s car broke down after Chris was transferred to Atlanta. Chris’s car is not in drivable condition either. Now that he is gone, it is a very real possibility that Cyndy will have to sell the house. Cyndy is the type of person who will figure things out and make sure her family is cared for, but at the moment, she cannot carry the current finances by herself. They are in desperate need of some assistance, at least temporarily, while they grieve, process the shock, and find a way forward in life without him. Chris was always there for me, so the least I can do is try to rally some support for his family. If you are able to contribute at all, I know we all, and Chris himself, would be incredibly grateful. All proceeds will go directly to his wife, Cyndy. If you have a preference, you can also donate to Cyndy through CashApp or Venmo:

Venmo: @CyndyRepasky

CashApp: $CyndyRepasky

If you are wondering how all of this came about, this is the short version - Cyndy posted more detail on her Facebook page.

Chris was admitted into Piedmont in Columbus, Georgia on April 4th, 2026 with sudden Acute Liver Failure due to severe undiagnosed Cirrhosis. This quickly cascaded into kidney failure and a whole host of other problems. On April 10th, he was accepted as a potential liver transplant candidate by Piedmont Atlanta. Due to the severity of his condition, Chris had to be intubated and sedated for the life flight by helicopter. Following his transfer, he developed pneumonia and Piedmont Atlanta could not successfully stabilize him to the extent necessary to approve him for a liver transplant. However, Emory University Hospital in Atlanta accepted him and he was then transferred to Emory on April 16th. There was a lot of hope amongst the doctors and all of us that with Emory’s advanced technology, he would stabilize and receive a liver within days of being put on the transplant list.

Unfortunately, Chris’s sepsis and lung infection did not respond properly to any antibiotics and he sustained permanent lung damage. This disqualified him from being able to receive a liver transplant, and was therefore a death sentence. There are no words to describe how this felt for us. Chris continued to decline into multi organ failure and the focus shifted to keeping him comfortable while his family and friends visited with him one last time. Chris passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 with Cyndy by his side. No amount of time could have prepared us for this. Chris is loved beyond measure and will be missed more than words could ever express.