New chapter for Krystal
Donation protected
It’s been three weeks since my friend Chris Benson passed away while in Maine celebrating his 36th birthday. The cancer he had been fighting for the last 7+ years of his life finally won over. I want to start this GoFundMe to honor Chris and support his wife of almost eight years.
Chris and I met around age 14 when I moved into his neighborhood in Sandy Hook. We were fast friends. From riding our bikes, to getting our first cars, it seems we were frequently setting off on some adventure together. We would hike in the woods, explore old buildings, or be tacking together some contraption. The two of us shared some good times over the years with our combination of mischief and ingenuity.
We were in our early twenties when Chris met Krystal Ferris, a fellow music and nature lover whose fun, outgoing personality proved to be a wonderful match for Chris’s quiet side. The two dated for several years before they were married in September of 2011. Less than six months later in January 2012 their lives would take another direction. The newlyweds had moved in with Chris's retired mother to pool resources in order to save for their first house. Chris was about to begin work with a building company (a career job with benefits). That very same week he was scheduled to start he found out that the arm pain he had been experiencing was a rare form of cancer. Being a carpenter, his developing condition no longer allowed him to work. For what would end up being a multiple year battle, Chris and Krystal remained living in his childhood home subsisting on a modest single income and the graciousness of his mother. Much of Chris’stesting and treatment was done by specialists in the city and he and Krystal would be away from home for days at a time. They were constantly riding the ups and downs of what Chris was dealt and renewing their commitment to each other. In between all this Krystal tried her best to make his adventurous dreams a reality in any way she could. Chris’s interest in cars took them for off- road adventures in Moab, and to exotic car rentals at the track. Their shared appreciation of music and nature brought them to festivals and National Parks throughout the county.
As much as my friends were able to experience an amazing, loving bond with each other and try to live life to the fullest between the days at the hospital and recovery at home, Krystal had to put on hold furthering her education or career. They never got a chance to start building the home or family they had hoped for. In Chris's own words, quoted at his service, he wants everyone to get the most out of life. And I know he wanted Krystal to go on living and loving life as much as they did together.
I am asking you to donate to this fund to help Krystal and their dog Jackson move towards the next chapter of life. Let’s see what we can put together to give them a new place to start!
Chris and I met around age 14 when I moved into his neighborhood in Sandy Hook. We were fast friends. From riding our bikes, to getting our first cars, it seems we were frequently setting off on some adventure together. We would hike in the woods, explore old buildings, or be tacking together some contraption. The two of us shared some good times over the years with our combination of mischief and ingenuity.
We were in our early twenties when Chris met Krystal Ferris, a fellow music and nature lover whose fun, outgoing personality proved to be a wonderful match for Chris’s quiet side. The two dated for several years before they were married in September of 2011. Less than six months later in January 2012 their lives would take another direction. The newlyweds had moved in with Chris's retired mother to pool resources in order to save for their first house. Chris was about to begin work with a building company (a career job with benefits). That very same week he was scheduled to start he found out that the arm pain he had been experiencing was a rare form of cancer. Being a carpenter, his developing condition no longer allowed him to work. For what would end up being a multiple year battle, Chris and Krystal remained living in his childhood home subsisting on a modest single income and the graciousness of his mother. Much of Chris’stesting and treatment was done by specialists in the city and he and Krystal would be away from home for days at a time. They were constantly riding the ups and downs of what Chris was dealt and renewing their commitment to each other. In between all this Krystal tried her best to make his adventurous dreams a reality in any way she could. Chris’s interest in cars took them for off- road adventures in Moab, and to exotic car rentals at the track. Their shared appreciation of music and nature brought them to festivals and National Parks throughout the county.
As much as my friends were able to experience an amazing, loving bond with each other and try to live life to the fullest between the days at the hospital and recovery at home, Krystal had to put on hold furthering her education or career. They never got a chance to start building the home or family they had hoped for. In Chris's own words, quoted at his service, he wants everyone to get the most out of life. And I know he wanted Krystal to go on living and loving life as much as they did together.
I am asking you to donate to this fund to help Krystal and their dog Jackson move towards the next chapter of life. Let’s see what we can put together to give them a new place to start!
Organizer
Anthony Ferraro
Organizer
Southbury, CT
