Christopher was raw. A noble savage, a percussive vocalist, a reveling poet, a nihilistic romantic, a relentless provocateur, a bacchanalian lover. With one of the sharpest tongues in Philadelphia he sparked the spirit in everyone he touched.
Amongst family and friends, Christopher departed our world on November 18th 2020 in his apartment in Fishtown. Music played and the sun shined in as he took his last breaths.
Too fast to live. Too young to die. He will be missed.
We don’t need lungs where we’re going.
Once he lost the use of his arms, Christopher was inspired to document the absurdity and difficulties of ALS. We kept filming together while he navigated the disease and set out to make a children's book.
Christopher dreamt up the idea to make a children’s book while teaching in Philadelphia elementary schools with his partner Kristin. After he was diagnosed with ALS, he found an interested circle of friends and family to help realize his vision of the whales’s quest in an illustrated book.
Before he passed, Christopher was able to finish the text of the book as well as complete the majority of the pages with illustrator, Raehan Blankinship. We’re planning to finish the book over the next few months and release it with a party on May 14th, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA.
The Scuba Diving Whale is a story of pursuing unasked questions down to their depths.
We are lucky to have a way to continue Christopher’s legacy.
Please make a DONATION or pre-order the book to help us bring the whale out into the world.
We know there is interest to donate to ALS organizations, but Christopher preferred that any donations go towards the book project or to his favorite radio station WFMU.