Collin Lis (11 years old) Memorial Fund

Dear Family, Friends, and Community,

With deep sadness, I want to let you know that my brother, Christopher Lis, his wife Heather, and their boys have just experienced the most heartbreaking and unimaginable loss of their lifetime - the sudden and highly unexpected loss of their 11-year-old son, and baby brother…Collin.

Collin was the spotlight of their family - bringing hugs, smiles, and joy to our family, their friends, their local schools, and the surrounding communities. Collin had Down Syndrome and was high functioning, with a ton of empathy and compassion. He led an incredibly active life, going with his parents to sporting and community events with his brothers and hanging out with family and friends spreading love and smiles.

What was special about Collin was his heartfelt empathy - reaching out to others to help brighten their day. When meeting new people, the first thing that Collin would do was reach out to offer a hug. When spending time with family and friends, he would initiate gestures of kindness, most often a hug or a big smile, and at get-togethers, offer snacks to others before himself. Collin’s degree of kindness, without judgment, reminded us all that small acts of kindness can make a difference in the world.

Shockingly, on October 18th, Collin experienced a sudden and severe stroke, with his parents rushing him to the local ER, and on that same day, flying in a medical emergency helicopter to take Collin to Comer Children’s Hospital / The University of Chicago to try to save his life. After nearly a two-week battle, Collin passed away on Monday October 30, 2023. The family is devastated and heartbroken beyond imagination.

So many wonderful people have reached out looking for ways to support and show they care.

In addition to praying for healing of The Lis Family, please consider donating or sharing this post. No donation is too small, and sharing this post with others will be equally impactful. The Family of Collin is in a tremendous amount of pain for the very sudden loss of the Love of Their Life. The task of planning a funeral and memorial, and handling financial matters (without life insurance for a child, short-term unpaid child bereavement, and accumulating uncovered medical expenses) can seem impossible in such unprecedented times….so we are asking for your support. 

Going forward, and in honor of Collin, we will also be advocating and working to fund greater awareness of timely and accurate stroke diagnosis and intervention at community hospitals, as well as acts of kindness to help others with disadvantages. The lifelong pain our family will endure is a feeling we wish no other family will ever have to experience.

There is not enough room on this page to express the love we all feel for Collin, and how much Collin will be missed by his mom, dad, brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, godparents, family, friends, and our communities. Collin will always be treasured.

We appreciate and will always remember everyone’s generosity and support in any way that you can help. Thank you so much…