Chris Strawhacker

Chris is a devoted husband and proud father of two sons. After years of worsening health, he was diagnosed in 2015 with a rare autoimmune disease that has caused progressive lung failure. This condition has also led to pulmonary hypertension, placing additional strain on his heart and making a lung transplant essential to his survival. Although the complexity of his illness led two transplant programs to decline his case, Chris has not lost hope. He is now receiving advanced care and undergoing transplant evaluation at the Cleveland Clinic Lung Transplant Program in Cleveland, Ohio—his greatest opportunity for a life-saving lung transplant and a healthier future with his family.

Transplants save lives—but they also come with overwhelming costs. Even with good health insurance, Chris and his family are facing significant out-of-pocket expenses related to the transplant and recovery. This journey will require Chris and his wife, Jill, to temporarily relocate to Cleveland, and Jill will need to take a leave of absence from her job at Adventures Preschool to serve as Chris’s primary caregiver.

Chris has always given back to his community, helping local youth as a coach with Ames Soccer Club and Ames Basketball Club and as a Cub Scout den leader for both of his sons. He has also served in leadership roles on the boards of Ames Soccer Club, Hunziker Youth Sports Complex, Adventures Preschool, and First and Collegiate United Methodist Churches. Now, the family who has given so much is leaning on their community for support.

Your support helps ease this financial burden so Chris and his family can focus on healing and hope. Donations will help them begin saving toward the $25,000 recommended to cover out-of-pocket expenses associated with the transplant.

Family and friends of Chris are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses and other costs associated with a lung transplant. Chris has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.