I’m Chris Wight, and I’m asking for your help to save my wife’s life.
Elizabeth (Greenlee) Wight is a vibrant, brilliant, and fiercely devoted mother of three, but her body is failing her due to a rare and life-threatening combination of spinal cord injuries, connective tissue disease (hEDS), and neurological compression at multiple points in her spine. These are not just painful or disabling—they are progressive and potentially fatal, if left untreated.
Right now, her brainstem and spinal cord are being compressed, causing increasing paralysis, neurological dysfunction, and life-threatening instability. She’s losing the ability to walk, control her limbs, and at times it even impacts her ability to speak or swallow. There is no simple fix. The safest and most promising option we have is advanced stem cell therapy and spinal stabilization at the Centeno-Schultz Clinic in Colorado—a cutting-edge, non-surgical treatment approach that may stop the progression and even reverse some damage.
Why not surgery?
There are surgeons who specialize in fusion surgeries for this condition—but they are few, extremely selective, and we have been advised that Elizabeth is likely not a good surgical candidate due to the complexity and severity of her case. In the words of Dr. Schultz, she is “fragile…like an egg.” The surgery is highly invasive, dangerous, and would require extended travel to New York with weeks of out-of-state recovery time. Even if it becomes absolutely necessary later, her odds of recovering well from surgery will be significantly better if she has undergone stem cell treatment first.
Right now, stem cell intervention is our best and most urgent chance to preserve her quality of life, stop the progression, and give her a fighting shot at stability, function, and healing. Before we can even do that, she needs local treatment to stabilize her extremely damaged lumbar spine.
Why $50,000?
We’ve set the initial goal at $50,000—the minimum needed to get her through the first two rounds of treatment, including:
- PICL (non-surgical spinal stabilization using her own stem cells)
- DMX imaging & diagnostics
- Peptide and supplement protocols
- MLS laser and physical therapy
- Lodging and travel to and from Colorado
- Durable medical equipment
- Preliminary costs related to lower spine instability
- Interim accommodations and assistive needs
Elizabeth’s condition is rare and complex. Her care requires specialized equipment, ongoing therapy, and possible repeat interventions, not to mention daily travel to medical centers and constant physical assistance at home. We’re being as lean and frugal as possible—but even this number only covers the essential and immediate needs to keep her going and buy us time.
If the doctors decide she needs additional rounds of PICL or PRP therapy (which is likely), the total cost could exceed $75,000 or more. If she ever becomes eligible for surgery, that will come with additional major expenses. And if she doesn’t—this treatment is our only hope.
Why we need your help
Elizabeth has spent her life fighting for others. For more than a decade, she led a nonprofit that fed millions of meals to people in need, ran community fundraisers, supported local schools, and showed up for countless women and families in crisis. She has been the helper, the fundraiser, the organizer.
But now she can barely sit up. She can’t stand long enough to cook or drive or leave the house. I’m caring for her full-time while we are homeschooling our youngest child, and the financial pressure is crushing. We cannot do this alone.
We’re asking you to stand with us and fight for her life. Every donation helps. Every share matters. Every prayer is felt.
If you know Elizabeth, you know she would walk through fire for anyone she loves. She is fighting for her life—for her kids, for our family, for the chance to keep fighting the good fight, loving boldly, and living in whatever way her body will allow. Even now, she’s teaching an online Bible study from her bed via Zoom.
Even if she never walks unassisted again, we will be grateful for the gift of her life, her mind, and her presence. These treatments are our best shot at preserving those things.
Final Notes
We’re setting the initial goal at $50,000, but the true long-term need may be significantly higher depending on treatment response and complications. Additional rounds of therapy will likely drive the cost to $75k as mentioned above, and home accessibility upgrades, a custom wheelchair, and additional medical travel may be required, which could increase the need to $100,000 or even more.
For now, the first $25,000 will get us to Colorado—hopefully by mid-October. It really is that urgent.
If you’d like to see a detailed breakdown of the projected costs, timeline, or have questions about her condition we’re happy to share. Just reach out. In the near future we will share more detailed updates on social media and elsewhere.
Thank you for standing with us in this fight. We love you.
— Chris and Elizabeth Wight
P.S. There are no special characters allowed in the title. We know it should be “Elizabeth’s” 😅
P.P.S. It occurred to us we should explain that we have to drive to Colorado. Flying isn’t safe or allowed for this current condition. ❤️
