Chris Milner has been part of the admin staff in the Boston North West Market Center since 2022, and his wife, Lisa, has been the MCA at the same Market Center since 2015. They’re a Keller Williams family through and through! They have a 15-year-old daughter, Victoria, who spends her time in competitive cheer, and Chris can often be found at the concession stand, where he works as “Fryguy” to cover her fees.
But 2023 was a rough year for them. In early spring, Chris went to the doctor for back pain and mild illness. They discovered his appendix was severely enlarged and sent him directly to the ER. That night, just hours before his surgery, his appendix burst and turned what would have been a routine procedure into a complex operation with an extended recovery time.
But that wasn’t even the most scary health event for the year!
“It should’ve killed me”
On December 17, 2023, Chris had a massive “widow maker” heart attack caused by a stress-induced spike in blood pressure. A piece of plaque had broken off, blocking his largest artery for nearly a day and the resulting scar tissue has permanently reduced his heart function. He now has a low EF (ejection fraction) and was required to wear a defibrillator vest upon discharge. The $5000 cost of the defibrillator vest was denied by his insurance so they had to pay for it out of pocket.
After months of cardiac rehab with no EF improvement, he had a defibrillator implanted on June 18, 2024.
Trying to Adjust
Chris works in the office and luckily has managed to cover his missed work with PTO and working late when he’s able with the blessing of his OP, but the hospital stays were tens of thousands of dollars that they had to pay for with a credit card. Additionally, for the rest of his life, he’ll need to be on a very low-sodium diet, and with the rising costs of groceries, his diet has become a challenge.
“We need to prep nearly everything I eat from scratch, which has caused our grocery spending to increase exponentially. We have found we need to use our credit card just to buy food for the week.” -Chris
Chris had heard about KW Cares, but hesitated to apply for a grant: “We are not people who ask others for help, and knowing the amazing stories of those helped by KW Cares, we did not think we ‘deserved’ it as much as others in situations worse than ours.” Thankfully, his market center reminded him that his situation is exactly why KW Cares is here and that we want to help!
KW Cares Offers Help
We were able to cover 75% of Chris’s out-of-pocket medical expenses, so he and his family can focus on healing and building a support system for the future.
“The gratitude my wife and I feel for having received our KW Cares grant is immeasurable. The feeling of actually being able to pay our medical bills as they arrived was a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. The thanks I have will never be able to be fully expressed.” -Chris
These days Chris is adapting to his new lifestyle, spending time with his daughter before she heads off to college, and he recently volunteered to step into Santa’s boots at his Market Center holiday party!
How You Help through KW Cares
At KW Cares, we make sure that families like the Milner’s don’t drown under the weight of unexpected medical bills – that’s what “family helping family” means.
Your gifts to KW Cares can help associates like Chris and their families recover from catastrophic hardships. Please donate today!