Thank you to Fairyland Dance Camp (June 17 -21) and Magical Music and Dance Camp (June 24-28) for sponsoring this week’s Chambana Mom to Know. Are you looking for an enchanted camp for your 4- to 7-year-old? Look no further than the next two weeks of morning camp with Miss Donna at Class Act Interactive in Champaign. A few spots are still available, so register today!
Less than six months after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, 35-year-old Chris Craig — husband and father of three — passed away. Today we meet his wife, Amy Craig, and learn from their heartbreaking but inspiring experience. Married for almost 12 years, Chris and Amy are parents to three children — now 9, 7, and 5 — being raised in Mahomet, Chris’ hometown. In the wake of Chris’ death, their friends and family rallied to hold fundraisers in his memory. On the year anniversary of Chris’ diagnosis, Amy and her children presented a $25,000 check to the Carle Cancer Center to benefit patients in treatment.
See why we think Amy Craig is a Chambana mom to know.
Q: Chris passed away a little over a year ago- what have you learned about yourself?
I have learned many things. One thing is that I cannot do it all. Thankfully I have an unbelieveable support system in our families and friends. Chris’ parents, sister and brother in law, my parents, my brothers and their families, my friends, the kids’ teachers, their bus driver, his business partner, they all have taken an active role in the kids’ life. I can be a better Mom to them because of the wonderful support that I have. I cannot do it all but with the help of everyone, we do it together. I’ve also learned that every one in a while I need to take time to myself so I try to do this. Losing Chris and going through his illness which was so fast, was a nightmare. All of my hopes and dreams came crashing down in the blink of an eye. We had a very happy marriage and loved each other very much. I didn’t know how I would handle losing my best friend but he was so comforting towards the end. He didn’t want me to dwell on losing him, instead focus on the positives, laugh and enjoy life. I’ve always been a “glass half full” kind of person but I am more now. We celebrate Chris and his life everyday in some way. Some ways are big but some are very small. I do cry, get sad and angry sometimes but I focus on what he said about he’ll be fine because he’s with Jesus. My faith in God has also gotten me through. I have learned that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was and I know it’s because I have God in my corner!
Q: Chris’ favorite job in life was being a father, how do the kids remember their dad and how do they keep his memory alive?Amy Craig and her three children. Photo provided
Chris absolutely loved being a Dad. He loved our kids with everything he had and they love him with everything they have. They remember their Dad as a funny, caring, big teddy bear that was always there for them. He coached their extracurricular activities, he helped in our church nursery, took them on tractor rides, rode bikes with them, he was happiest when he was with me and the kids. Their memories are positive which I am grateful for because he got very sick very fast. He lost over 100 pounds in 5.5 months so Daddy didn’t look like Daddy anymore. He didn’t have the energy to do all the things he loved to do with them. It was difficult for them but we handled it very carefully with them. We all keep his memory alive by talking about him. Both of our families and our wonderful friends talk about him all the time. It isn’t something that we push under a rug. We are very open about it and love telling stories about him because most of them make us laugh. He was quite the jokester and very onery! We have also given out two scholarships in May in his name to two graduating seniors that were involved in the Mahomet-Seymour High School Agriculture and Industrial Tech classes. We had a 5k and a benefit in his name last year. The money from those went to the Carle Cancer Center in Chris’ name. I tell the kids that while we can honor their Dad in big ways he would want us to honor him in the smallest ways by having Jesus in our lives, being kind to everyone and enjoying every minute of every day.
Q: How did you find time to do fundraising- ultimately collecting $25,000 in less than a year?
First, this is where my family and friends come in. I didn’t want to have to do a lot with the 5K and benefit (silent/live auction) because my goal this past year has been to focus on my kids. Chris’ sister, Darlia Orton, was in charge of the 5K and she did a wonderful job. It was so organized and just an amazing morning. We had over 200 people participate which we were thrilled with. We are going to do this every year to raise money for something Chris believed in. It will go towards scholarships in the Ag department and the weight room this year. We’re keeping the funds in Mahomet to directly affect our students and community. My brother Ryan McClure was the one behind the silent and live auction. He had several people who stepped up to help out. Chris’ Aunt Trish was unbelieveable getting items donated. It was really something to see that whole day come together. I cannot ever thank the town of Mahomet enough for how they have supported us while Chris was battling and since then. We are blessed to live in a community that supports each other no matter what they may be facing. Really, I had nothing to do with the day of October 6. It was all Darlia, Ryan- who put their hearts, time, energy and love into it- our families, friends and our community that came together to celebrate the life of a man that we lost too young.
Q: How do we teach kids about cancer?
I think that this is a really personal decision that will change from family to family. My children obviously know a lot about it but when Chris was going through everything we only told them what they needed to know and could comprehend. It depends on the age of the child and their ability to understand the information to what we tell children. I am a firm believer that as parents we have to do what we feel is best for our children. I do teach the children about having a clean diet, making good food choices, not smoking, all of the obvious things. My children understand a lot. They’re not intimidated by seeing someone going through chemo with a bald head. We go up to the Carle Cancer Center to drop off “goodies” to the patients and nurses and it’s actually a very comforting place for us. There is a room in the Infusion Suite dedicated to Chris because of the donation. We get to see nurses that Chris had. The patients eyes light up if they see the kids walk in. It’s a very positive place for us. We also always visit Dr. Vasireddy, Chris’ wonderful oncologist and his equally wonderful nurse Jennifer Plunk. I sincerely hope that no one ever has to go through cancer but if you do I hope that you are blessed with people as wonderful as Vas and Jen. They have helped my kids a lot also. My kids know that they did everything that they could to help their Dad but more importantly Jen and Vas have told the kids how hard their Dad fought to beat this disease.
Q: If you could pass along advice to people mourning what would it be?
My advice is always take it one day at a time. Sometimes I break the day in half and just try to get through it that way, sometimes it’s hour by hour and sometimes it’s minute by minute. Don’t rush through you grief and embrace it as it comes. It will sneak up on you and you don’t see it coming. Don’t try to push it back, deal with it. Cry when you need to, but also celebrate as much as you can. One key thing is to surround yourself with people who will always be there. I have so many wonderful people and I know that I am blessed. My best friend Jenn has been there for me every step of the way. Have people in your life that bring you up instead of down but who will also give you tough love when you need it. I could give you a list of the people that are there no matter what for me, our kids and families. We have a lot of love in our lives and a lot of positives!
Q: How do your kids make you proud?
My kids make me proud every day. I cannot believe how they have handled this past 19 months from Chris’ diagnosis through his passing. I love to see how caring, thoughtful and compassionate they are. They all have different characteristics that make me smile. I see so much of their Dad in them and that is so awesome. They are hard workers and they enjoy life. They love to have fun! I know that they miss their Dad every minute of every day but they also know that he is in Heaven and that is very comforting to them. They were fortunate enough to say good bye to him and ask him questions before he passed away. Unfortunately, they had to grow up very fast but they have embraced their new normal. I love to see them smile and giggle. I feel thankful that God chose me to be their Mom and Chris to be their Dad. We’ve been through a lot and this is something we will deal with the rest of our lives but as long as the kids are healthy and happy, I feel like we can really get through anything.
Amy Craig was nominated to be a Chambana mom to know. Nominate a mom or dad to know TODAY!
Thank you to Fairyland Dance Camp (June 17 -21) and Magical Music and Dance Camp (June 24-28) for sponsoring this week’s Chambana Mom to Know. Are you looking for an enchanted camp for your 4- to 7-year-old? Look no further than the next two weeks of morning camp with Miss Donna at Class Act Interactive in Champaign. A few spots are still available, so register today! 
