It was late 2007 when Krissy and Griffin Stein decided to have a family. But first things first, they would need to move out of the starter house they purchased in 2003. In 2007 the housing market was already showing signs of fatigue, and the Steins discovered their home had already lost 10% of its value. Selling would be difficult, they decided to hold out.
The state of Michigan was rocked hard by the 2008 recession. Royal Oaks is just outside Detroit, the epicenter of Michigan’s housing collapse, and by the middle of 2008 the Stein’s house had lost a third of its value. Selling was no longer and option. Krissy and Griffin took a deep breath and said screw it, their little house could still welcome a child, it wouldn’t be too cramped.
They were only having one kid after all.
Then triplets arrived. The middle triplet, Griffin, was born without eyes and with a genetic disorder called SOX2 Amophthalmia Syndrome. SOX2 is a rare genetic disorder (1 in 250,000), and is characterized by abnormal development of the eyes and other parts of the body.
Three children now occupied a single bedroom. The cramped house they’d anticipated for was just…well…packed. When the family gathers together for dinner there’s “about 10 square feet of movable space. We can’t open the refrigerator door.” Heston jokingly described what it’s like to put triplets to bed in the same room: “Heston’s the good one. He’s out by 8. The other two, well…bedtime tonight more resembled Patton and Rommel’s North African tank battle than nighty-night.”
Transportation was also becoming an issue for the same reasons the house was a problem: space. They needed a bigger minivan to accommodate Griffin’s wheelchair as well as a specialized lift to raise Griffin into the vehicle. That’s where the Chivers stepped in.
I traveled to the Midwest over the weekend to surprise the family with a new Chrysler Town and Country made possible by all the Chivers who donate to the Chive Fund (story here). The family broke down. Their old jalopnik was on its last legs.
It wasn’t until we had lunch together that I learned about their living situation. I asked Heston if he had any plans to expand the home. As a matter of fact, he did. Heston showed me blueprints on his phone of his plans to blow out the kitchen’s west wall and build another 500 square foot handicap accessible bedroom and bathroom. His brother and father are craftsmen; they could build it together. Heston told me he could bootstrap the DIY project for $20,000. It would only take about two years to complete. I laughed out loud – you can’t even install a toilet for that these days.
I spoke with Heston over the phone last night after the dust settled on their Chive post. He told me about how he’d spent his day hitting F5, refreshing the page on his computer to read all the amazing Chive comments on Griffin’s post. Heston told me how easy it had been to put Griffin to sleep that evening, as if Griffin himself knew his fragile existence was becoming just a little easier. I finally told him:
“Heston, the Chivers would like to get you a new home.”
“I couldn’t let them do that for me, John. It seems like too much. The Chivers have done so much already. I got a shiny new minivan in the driveway, ya know? But if the Chivers wanted to help me with the addition to the house, that would be a dream come true. But I…I couldn’t let them do more than that.”
Heston created a GoFundMe page and created a $30,000 donation goal for the addition to their home.
What Heston doesn’t know is that Chivers don’t like goals so much. I remember the days when Chivers would Hulk Smash charity goals into tiny pieces of pulp. It’s been too long since we did that. So many Chivers are frothing at the mouth to do some Level 5 damage to a goal just like the good old days.
What Heston also doesn’t know is that I called my friends at GoFundMe this morning and they removed the financial limits on Griffin’s GoFundMe page.
I received one email last night from a Chiver with a single sentence. It read: “Tee it up John, we’ll take care of the rest.”
I believe the Chivers think it’s time to change the Stein’s family life for the better, forever. And the Chive Nation will decide what that number amounts to. I don’t know how this story ends, possibly an addition to the home, possibly something more…
What I do know is that, as of yesterday, a sick child on the outskirts of Detriot has inspired us all. His health complications run so deep that they are impossible to innumerate. And yet, Griffin wakes up his family every morning in their tiny home with laughter. The very first thing Griffin’s brother and sister do each morning is check on Griffin. The bond between the triplets is stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s time for us to give back. If you have one dollar, that’s enough.
The ball is tee’d up. Here is the donation page. I’ll be bringing you constant updates right here. Don’t stop smashing until the machine breaks.
UPDATE #1: Just minutes after launch we’re at $10,000!
UPDATE #1: Just minutes after launch we’re at $10,000!
UPDATE #2: $20,000 in 20 minutes
UPDATE #3: Holy shit $30,000!!!
UPDATE #4: $40,0000 in one hour and accelerating…
UPDATE #5: $50,000
UPDATE #6: $60,000
UPDATE #7: $70,000
UPDATE #8: $80,000. Unfreakingbelievable
UPDATE #9: $100,000
UPDATE #10: $120,000
The Stein family is gathered around their computer watching events unfold. We’ve got your back today, guys.
Donate to Griffin RIGHT HERE.
UPDATE #1: Just minutes after launch we’re at $10,000!
UPDATE #2: $20,000 in 20 minutes
UPDATE #3: Holy shit $30,000!!!
UPDATE #4: $40,0000 in one hour and accelerating…
UPDATE #5: $50,000
UPDATE #6: $60,000
UPDATE #7: $70,000
UPDATE #8: $80,000. Unfreakingbelievable
UPDATE #9: $100,000
UPDATE #10: $120,000
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