About
Chris Harbrecht is first and foremost the devoted father of three amazing teenage kids: Drew, Hailey-Tate and Drake. He is the loving husband of Keri, a long-time and much loved teacher at Brighton Area Schools and life-long Brighton resident. In the midst of his most important work as a dad, Chris has managed to use his time and talent to serve his community in numerous and meaningful ways. He has coached both hockey and soccer over the years, and served as a youth leader and mentor at his church and for the Reaching Higher initiative. Countless young people have been touched by Chris's encouraging and compassionate example, which has undoubtedly translated to the incredible family he is raising! He is widely known for his infectious smile, kindness of heart, strong leadership abilities, strength of character and perpetual optimism. Only weeks ago, Chris was recognized by his employer and his peers as Regional Director of the Year in his highly visible role at VMware!!
However, on December 28th, Chris was diagnosed with a very rare and extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer. He and his family have consulted with the best doctors and hospitals in the country, including the highly regarded Mayo and Cleveland Clinics. To date, a protocol for care is being further examined, and will likely require extensive travel and prolonged treatment at a facility in Houston, Texas. This treatment has been used widely in Europe and met with significant success for patients with neuroendocrine metastatic disease. It is this "out-of-the box" therapy that is likely to benefit Chris in his own battle, but comes at a high cost. Most of the expenses associated with his care will not be covered by traditional insurance, and travel over the next several months will be costly and consuming. It is estimated that out-of-pocket costs could exceed $100,000 when all is said and done, a problem his family should not be concerned with while he fights for a cure!
Chris's mantra is "I WILL, RIGHT NOW!" and he means what he says! He is determined to win this battle and get back to the business of being the dad, the husband, the friend and role-model we have loved for these 45 years!! Let's do what we can to raise as much money as we can to give back to this family who has given us so much, these people who are loved so dearly...WE will, right NOW!!
However, on December 28th, Chris was diagnosed with a very rare and extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer. He and his family have consulted with the best doctors and hospitals in the country, including the highly regarded Mayo and Cleveland Clinics. To date, a protocol for care is being further examined, and will likely require extensive travel and prolonged treatment at a facility in Houston, Texas. This treatment has been used widely in Europe and met with significant success for patients with neuroendocrine metastatic disease. It is this "out-of-the box" therapy that is likely to benefit Chris in his own battle, but comes at a high cost. Most of the expenses associated with his care will not be covered by traditional insurance, and travel over the next several months will be costly and consuming. It is estimated that out-of-pocket costs could exceed $100,000 when all is said and done, a problem his family should not be concerned with while he fights for a cure!
Chris's mantra is "I WILL, RIGHT NOW!" and he means what he says! He is determined to win this battle and get back to the business of being the dad, the husband, the friend and role-model we have loved for these 45 years!! Let's do what we can to raise as much money as we can to give back to this family who has given us so much, these people who are loved so dearly...WE will, right NOW!!