I just received a message that my friend Chris Johnson passed away this afternoon after a long battle with cancer. Some of you might have noticed that I was asking for support for his GoFundMe site this last month to help Chris raise money to try expensive alternative treatments that might prolong or potentially save his life. I actually never met Chris (aside from exchanging a handshake at a Sons of Maxwell show years ago) but we both played for the same high school basketball coach, Hugh Meyer, and it was Hugh that reached out to me and others on Chris behalf to raise some funds. Im proud to say that Chris became a fast friend of mine in this last month. Chris and I spoke on the phone a few times and his desire to LIVE, along with his strength of spirit in the face of a frightening prognosis inspired me. I wasnt the only one who felt that way as nearly $40,000 was raised online and through community events in his honour. Id like to thank everyone who donated money to help Chris Johnson. His odds of overcoming the cancer at this late stage were remote and, while I hoped that he would, my other wish was that people would come together to help another person, maybe a perfect stranger, to experience how natural and right that feels. Most importantly, when Chris needed it most, I wanted him to know that he mattered, and that him being here mattered, and for him to witness more people than he could ever have imagined stepping up to carry some of his load. All of those things happened and it was a beautiful thing to witness. He was humbled by the outpouring of compassion towards him and his spirits were lifted. If someone were to question the value in donating money to a person with late stage cancer I would tell them that this experience has reaffirmed my belief that spending money to fight cancer is a fruitless task. Investing your money in Life however, and in another persons will to live not only inspires the sick, but its an investment in yourself. Rest in Peace Chris, and thank you for reminding us of the importance of compassion.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 01:17:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015