From Chris's family, here is what happened:
On Tuesday March 8th, Chris fell from a ladder approximately 10 feet onto concrete, landing directly on his head. Although he was conscious within a few minutes of the traumatic incident, he had severe bleeding and swelling on his brain and was rushed into emergency surgery. He spent the following two and a half weeks in an induced coma in critical condition at the St. John's Neuro-Trauma ICU in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After being discharged from the ICU, Chris was in Long Term Acute Care at Cornerstone in St. John's Broken Arrow and made improvements, began writing and talking some. Every baby step is a huge challenge and we are very proud of Chris for working so hard to get better. While at Cornerstone Chris developed Hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain, enlarging the brain and causing additional brain damage. Chris was sent via ambulance back to St. John hospital where he underwent two additional brain surgeries to place a temporary drain and then a permanent shunt to maintain fluid levels. Chris is now in a brain injury rehabilitation program at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia and still has a long road ahead. In addition to being an amazing dad to his three children, Chris was a staple to Tulsa’s social scene. Chris is the founder and executive director for two Tulsa non-profit events, the Route 66 Marathon and the Center of the Universe Festival. The Route 66 Marathon is in it’s 11th year and brings people from all 50 states and several countries to Tulsa.
This event is truly something Chris is passionate about and is very proud of the 8 million dollar economic impact the marathon brought to Tulsa in 2015, as well as the $75,000.00 donated to local charities. The marathon promotes health and wellness, but also shows tourists the reasons why we all love Tulsa. Chris is passionate about improving the lives of others as well as building and growing his hometown, Tulsa. Chris is well respected within the marathon community throughout the U.S. He loves to travel and help out with the Chicago and Houston Marathons, as well as several others. He is always ready to lend a helping hand.
Everyone who knows Chris knows he is a hard worker. He loves his city and really loves to have a good time. His love for Tulsa and passion for local artists is a big reason Chris founded the Center of the Universe Festival, a non-profit music festival. For the past three years, this music festival took over downtown Tulsa in the Brady District, merging national musical talent and local artists/musicians for a unique opportunity not only for local talent, but for Tulsa to be able to show off it’s incredible downtown vibe. Like the marathon, this festival brought many to Tulsa who otherwise would not of traveled here. Aside from these two major Tulsa events, Chris assists with other events and organizations throughout the city. Chris is a member of Downtown Coordinating Council.
He has also worked the past 3 years with the Tulsa Oktoberfest, where he produced the entertainment and created a European Disco complete with a DJ and confetti cannons in his typical “Lieberfun” style. Because of his hard work and dedication to making Tulsa a better place, it’s hard to imagine pulling off these community-gathering events without him. We need Chris, and the city of Tulsa needs him too. There is still a long road to recovery ahead, and we are so very thankful for all of your positive thoughts and prayers, they are working!
Chris is doing better, but he has a long way to go. Chris and Kimi are AMAZING people and I can't imagine how Kimi and his children are getting through this time. I have added a donation widget to the side of my blog to help with some of the massive expenses related to Chis's recovery. PLEASE, if you can even spare $5, consider donating!
WE LOVE YOU CHRIS AND KIMI!!
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