Support Chris and Sarah Tipton’s Road to Recovery

The Story

On August 24th, Chris Tipton was seriously injured while mountain biking with his son and his son's friend. He broke and dislocated cervical vertebrae and fractured thoracic vertebrae in his spine, and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where he underwent surgery for a plate, pins, and screws cervical fusion.

Prior to the accident, Chris had just completed school and licensure for his new career as a massage therapist and was about to begin working at a local clinic.

In recent months, Chris had also taken on the lion’s share of responsibilities for his family of six while his wife, Sarah, has grappled with a mysterious, debilitating illness that began earlier this year. Sarah took a leave of absence from her job in the spring and ultimately had to leave that executive director role due to rapidly increasing disability.

As Sarah sought care, they discovered black mold may be present in their home. Consequently, the entire family vacated their home to find temporary housing, leaving the majority of their belongings behind (which may need to be replaced depending on mold exposure).

The Tipton family has experienced a series of overlapping crises in short order that has resulted in the loss of work and mounting expenses, while simultaneously disabling both parents.

While they feel blessed to have received excellent emergency care and a prognosis that involves an eventual full recovery for Chris, healing will take an extended period of time. Timelines for Sarah’s recovery are currently unknown.

The People

Chris and Sarah have long been pillars of the Sequim community, serving in a multitude of local grassroots efforts to improve the lives of friends and strangers alike.

After eight years at Nash's Organic Produce, Chris spent four years practicing regenerative agriculture with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. Sarah founded Olympic Nature Experience, the first nature-based school in Sequim. Under her leadership, ONE cultivated an inclusive space for children of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, varying abilities, and orientations.

With a strong bent towards justice, Chris and Sarah have consistently been the sort of people to give the shirt off of their backs to those in need. So many lives have benefited from their care and generosity over the years.

The Goal

Now the time has come for us to join together and send support back their way. We are looking to fund:

- Emergency medical expenses not covered by insurance

- Immediate rehabilitative costs not covered by insurance

- Mold testing and potential remediation

- Living expenses for a family of six

Our goal is to send a substantial wave of funding Chris and Sarah’s way so their family can maintain a basic measure of safety and security while they focus on the important work of healing.

We are deeply grateful for your presence and participation in this pivotal moment. Any amount, whether big or small, helps our beloved friends in their time of need. Let’s do this!!!