Chris Rains grew up the way that many people from his small town in South Carolina do – a sweet, simple country life with strong family values and rich food. And like many of them, too, he lived a fairly average life. He made his wages working at a grocery store, challenged by social anxiety and the health impact of obesity, but not particularly unhappy with life.  Little did he expect for life to be shaken up the way that it did. He certainly did not expect to find life’s greatest adventure through an unfathomable loss. 

The first time that Chris came in contact with the Beautifully Flawed Foundation, he still had all of his limbs and wasn’t exactly planning on giving any up. Having watched Soul Surfer in 2013 and inspired by the life of Bethany Hamilton, the story of resiliency resonated with Chris who had endured bullying as a child and a persistent struggle with body weight. 

“At some point, I heard about Sarah Hill and learned that she was a youth pastor in Hawaii,” says Chris. “I realized that I might be able to talk about some of my challenges with her that I didn’t want to talk about with someone that I knew. I remember thinking that it would be convenient that I would never meet her.”