Dr. Chris Towe has devoted his career to caring for children and families facing extraordinarily rare and difficult diseases. Today, Chris and his family are facing an unimaginable diagnosis of their own.

Chris is a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Director of the Rare Lung Diseases Program at Cincinnati Children’s. His patients come to Cincinnati from across the country and around the world with rare and often poorly understood lung diseases. His research has focused on improving the detection and treatment of serious lung injury, particularly in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation and children with rare inflammatory lung diseases.

But the people who know Chris know that medicine is only part of his story.

Chris is a dedicated friend, a marathon runner, an enthusiastic traveler, and, most importantly, a husband to Ariana and dad to Eleanor and Atlas. He and Ariana have opened their home to so many international exchange students from around the world, they received the President’s Volunteer Service Award twice! Chris has built a life centered on curiosity, adventure, service, and family.

Chris is now living with a terminal brain tumor, and the Towe family is confronting something no family should have to plan for: saying goodbye far too soon while trying to preserve some sense of stability and normalcy for the people he loves most.

Our hope is for this fund to give Ariana and the kids some breathing room—not only now, but in the months and years ahead. Donations can help with the many expenses that accompany serious illness and end-of-life care, household needs, time away from work, and the countless unexpected costs that come with losing a husband and father.

More than anything, we hope this fund gives Ariana the freedom to make decisions based on what her family needs, rather than what they can afford.

If you are able, please consider contributing. Every donation, regardless of size, is meaningful. And whether or not you are able to donate, please share this page with others who know and care about Chris. Reaching the many communities that have been part of his life will make an enormous difference.

Thank you for surrounding Chris, Ariana, Eleanor, and Atlas with love and support.