Live Like Chris

By Kathy Lord Nicolosi

What if you could do one thing, just one thing a day that would make the world a kinder, more caring, loving, peaceful place? Would you do it?

Most of us have probably heard the saying, “pay it forward” or “random acts of kindness.” The idea is you do an act of kindness for someone and then they pay it forward and do a kindness for someone else. Isn’t that a great idea? What a wonderful philosophy. The thing is, it stays “just a philosophy” unless we act on it and make it a part of our lives. Perhaps this story will touch your heart and move you to initiate your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly act of kindness in memory of Christopher Tucci.

Christopher Flynn Tucci departed from us unexpectedly on October 22, 2023. He was only 27 years old. It was discovered that Tucci had an undiagnosed congenital heart condition, and his passing left a mark on the hearts of many, especially since Chris’ heart was so big. So in his honor, the Tucci family took this heartbreaking tragedy and have turned it into a legacy called “Live Like Chris” (www.livelikechris.org).

This non-profit organization aims to commemorate and spread Christopher’s passion, kindness, and zest for life by providing grants, scholarships, and resources to help others pursue their lifelong passions. Chris Tucci was aware of how fortunate he was and wanted to give to those who didn’t have the same opportunities in life. He volunteered to build houses in El Salvador, and he gave much of his time to the Adaptive Sports Foundation which is a non-profit organization that provides profound and life-changing experiences for children and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Approaching the two-year anniversary of Christopher’s passing this October, Live Like Chris has already brought much positivity to this world. It has awarded scholarships to adaptive ski instructors to receive training in how to work with adaptive athletes, awarded a scholarship to a young woman to support her attending Clemson University where she will play wheelchair tennis, helped sponsor the Buckley’s to Kennedy’s 5K race, which benefits Heartshare Human Services for families dealing with the trauma related to family separation and poverty, and also sponsored the Special Winter Olympics in Copper, Colorado.

But that’s not all, and this is where I’m hoping you come in. Through the organization’s “Pay It Forward” Kindness Challenge, multiple acts of kindness have been done in Chris’ name such as sponsoring two campers to attend Camp St. Christopher, a camp for underprivileged children, donations to food banks and animal shelters, buying groceries for hurricane victims, and buying everything from music lessons to gym classes to coffees for total strangers—in an effort to spread joy and kindness.

So I think by now you get the idea. Whether you buy someone a cup of coffee, help someone cross the street, shovel your neighbor’s snow, or buy someone a new refrigerator, the Tucci family asks that you do it in Chris’ name and suggest that you might say, “I’d love to help you with this. All I ask is that you pay it forward and keep my friend Chris in mind when you do.” Then if that person does the same for someone else and on and on and on, can you see how we could quite literally change the world?

Please visit the Live Like Chris website, www.livelikechris.org, for more information on how you can win a special four-night stay at Disney’s Old Key West Resort through their “Pay It Forward Kindness Challenge” in honor of their second anniversary. The deadline is October 31.

“Your legacy on this planet when you leave is how many hearts you touched” – P. Davis

Christopher Tucci’s spirit lives on through “Live Like Chris.” With your help, he is still touching lives. Thank you in advance for any act of kindness this story has helped to inspire in you.