Hi all, thanks to Paula for encouraging me to post here.
In the days following my dads death I found peace in making a playlist of all his favorite songs. Today, on his birthday, I am listening to a few and smiling through the tears. Happy Birthday Dad ❤️
The Commitments - The Dark End of the Street
Dire Straights - Sultans of Swing
Eric Clapton - Layla (acoustic)
So glad you found a way to post, Tara! 
May you continue to be at peace as you enjoy memories of your Dad,
Paula
Tara,
Your father was a great unselfish man of character. He was a menche ( yiddish version). Thank you for allowing us to celebrate and mourn with you.
I miss his wit and knowledge very much.
Jeff
I knew he’d have a brilliant taste in music Tara! I loved his sense of humour 😊
He was a special man your lovely dad and we all miss him too.
Best wishes to you,
Newdawn
Tara, thank you and that music soothes my soul, too. Chris was such a special part of our cite--actual he was a rock and he rocked! He is missed more than can be expressed.
Hoping you are doing well.
We all miss your father Tara. I’ll never forget how he helped me find a capable and experienced CLL specialist after I received incredibly poor advice from my first oncologist. He truly made a difference in this world. Very few people are able to make a positive out of something as negative as cancer but your father did that in spades. He was one of a kind.
Best
Mark
Thanks so much for sharing Tara. Your dad is still very much in our thoughts. I for one can never see a Canadian flag like he had as his icon without thinking of him and I didn’t know him for as many years or as well as many did on here.
We all wish you well and aim to carry on his legacy of patiently helping others.
Thanks for sharing. Your dad was very special 🙂
He was such a good person. He would help me feel better every time i was down. He was truly a great person to have on this site. Also we were both Canadian so i feel we bonded even more because of that. He is still here with us all. He will be missed by us all.
Thanks Tara. I so looked forward to his photography. Such an exquisite eye for details. I’ve never met such a brilliant man. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. He found answers for so many of us. I love his taste in music also. Thanks for sharing and you are welcome here anytime. Happy Birthday Chris🎉🎊
Tara,
Thank you so much for giving us an opportunity to let you know how much your father meant to all of us. We miss him a lot. It's not unusual for someone to post just to say how much they miss Chris. I can only imagine how difficult it is for you.
Music is a wonderful way to celebrate your father. He once told me that a favorite song of his was 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison. I now call it Chris' song.
All the best to you, Tara, especially on this special day.
💕💕💕
Hi Tara,
My husband and I sent you a card last Spring and you are still very much in our thoughts.
Chris is in our hearts and we often think about him and miss him too.
Sending lots of support and love on this special day....
We will play that music too.
J & N
Tara,
My thoughts and virtual support are with you on your Dad's birthday. He was a hero on this forum, and I'm so sorry you need to listen to that music without him.
Thank you for sharing your dad’s Birthday with all of us. I feel blessed to have known your dad online for about a year. Nice to meet you , John
Thoughts are with you on this special day-your dads birthday, may you cherish all the fond memories you have of him on this day and always ❤️ he will forever be missed
with love
elkk au 💕
Please know that your dad made a difference in many lives.
Tara, your father was a special selfless man. I'm forever greatful for the knowledge and information from your fathers posts and messages.
I didn't know your dad, I joined this group around the same time of his passing. But I have found great comfort reading his heartfelt responses on so many posts.
I can certainly relate to your loss, My dad passed 3 years ago and I think of him every single day. I actually made a playlist of songs and bands that he liked so I could listen when I'm missing him. I love your dad's taste in music!
Stay strong, there are so many people that loved and respected your dad.
Happy heavenly birthday, Chris.
Carol 🇨🇦
I knew Chris, only through this forum and only for my second life (my CLL life), however in that seven years he has been inspirational. His absence from posting is very noticeable, he is missed here.
I could not have picked better music, is the list longer?
Thinking of you and of Chris,
best, rob
Committed to making the world better for all who have this disease—you should be proud of his time on earth. He used it robustly in the service of science and others! Thank you!
Sending you a warm hug Tara, with a thank you for sharing your love of Chris with us.
My avatar the little cardinal is my lasting memorial to him as Chris shared him with me, and was going to take a snap of him when he appeared this Spring.
Admiration and huge respect do not begin to convey the love and esteem we hold him in, as despite his own health he had time for us all and our problems.
A little part of his huge heart and mind live on in all here who were privileged to know our cyber friend.
He was so proud of you, rightly so, I hope your life, though missing your Dad is the happy one he wished for you and yours.
Bubnjay1
How appropriate to celebrate his birthday since he was a man who helped so many and his posts with his vast information , and encouraging and supportive advice,
continue to live on after him.
Chris set the example, for many of us ,enabling us to cope with this disease.He always responded quickly , accurately and with a sense of humor..
I know I miss him ,as do so many others.
Take care of yourself,and enjoy
all the good times , and hold on to the lovely memories of your Dad , who left a legacy!
Be Well!
Dear Tara,
Your DAD was a special and selfless man.Wonderful friend who helped me a lot.
I will never forget him!
Then you,Tara,for sharing with us the memory on Chris on his birthday.
With love and gratitude!
Olga
Hi Tara!
Thank you, it's a privilege to share this moment with you.
As a relative newbie I personal messaged your father, just to thank him for his posts and responses to posts. On impulse. I was unaware how ill he was. I still had a lovely response from him, just 5 days before he died. What a shock. He is sorely missed.
This amazing Forum, in large part thrives due to the legacy your father has left us all who live with CLL.
I send you heartfelt best wishes.
Jig
Thank your for posting. Great taste in music! He was such a great man and is dearly missed.
BeckyL USA
He was so loved by all on this forum and I'm sure many others too.
Love and miss him still.
Thanks for posting Tara.
Sue
May his memory be a blessing to you. He had great taste in music and art, and I, like others here, found wisdom and comfort from his posts. Karen
Hi your dad was a very special man. He helped many people repeatedly on this site, including me. May he rest in peace.
You must have many wonderful memories of him.
Thank you for sharing his taste in music with us, excellent, like him.
Ann
Chris obviously had a great taste in music. All my favourites too.
Vintage oldies... the best...like me and Chris!!
Rock on Chris.
Sheila in Oz
Happy Birthday, Chris! I miss ya, man! Thanks again, Tara! I know it's hard. We love you, too!
Thank you for posting. Wishing you peace and happy memories of your amazing dad. He was brave, knowledgeable , and there to assist anyone who need information. I always knew that should I ever need advice, he would always be there to point me in the right direction. Happy Birthday, Chris!
Happy Birthday Chris! You were a guiding light for us all! I love your song choices.... Tara my parents are still alive, but my Father in Law touched my heart.... When I hear his favorite performer, George Jones, I reminisce fondly..... Best wishes to you!
Hello tara_mann
Your father is greatly missed. He was a beacon of light which drove many of us to seek information on CLL and help ourselves. Your father was younger than me so I am not familiar with his choice of music, but if it inspired him, I will research and listen to same.
Tara,
Thank you so much for helping us remember your wonderful dad in these songs! Your dad was such a selfless man who wanted to help people who were afflicted with the same cancer that he suffered with for so long. He helped us all up until his last days. He was an angle on earth and I am sure that he now looks down on you with love.
Happy angle birthday Chris. May your spirit live on in all of us.
Chris
Hello Tara,
Thank you for reaching out to us. Your message speaks to me as a daughter (of an increasingly frail father) and as a wife (my husband has CLL, but is thankfully still in W &W). I was always looking forward to Chris's photography, to his sage advice, and to his amazingly efficient "hunter-gatherer-mode" (which is the term he used to refer to his uncanny ability to unearth the very latest CLL research, and then explain it in simple terms.) I think of him often. Love and peace to you both. I'm sure he's watching over you.
Bettina (from Germany)
Dear Tara,
-
Your father and I were friends and kindred spirits online. We met in person a few times, usually at the Niagara Falls CLL conferences.
-
I recall when he told us all that his combination of CLL and lung fungus was untreatable since the only available treatments would make one or the other fatal. I sent him a quote we both exchanged comments about, back and forth:
poets.org/poem/do-not-go-ge...
literarydevices.net/do-not-...
-
He followed that advice and lived the next 2+ years defying the doctors that predicted a much shorter survival, but he did it in his own way- helping hundreds of other CLL patients.
-
He is truly a mensch, and we all should aspire to follow his example.
-
Len
Tara,
Your Dad was so incredibly helpful when I was first diagnosed, I Know that I am not the only one. I was so frightened after my diagnosis. He was an unending source of knowledge. In those early days, he gave me so much information to help guide me to my CLL Specialist, for that I shall be eternally grateful.
The first guitar solo I ever Learned was the Sultan of Swing, not surprised Chris would have such excellent taste in music. (If possible, this makes me love him more!)
Happy Heavenly Birthday Chris! Hugs to you Tara.
Sandy
Chris is a hero with wisdom for life, such calmness when he is in critical time for his own, but still helping, comforting others. “Get me through December”, he posted the song, he is strong but soft hearted. Miss him!
Hi Tara, most of us didn't know your father personally. We really only knew this one dimension of his life. I am among the hundreds or thousands that he helped by his copious information and wealth of knowledge. I wish I had the depth of understanding of my disease that he had. As someone already posted, he found a way to change a bad situation into something positive. That in itself is somewhat of a life lesson. No matter what bad situation we are in, can we use it to do something good, and help someone else? About a year ago I noticed something he wrote and realized how sick he was. I messaged him privately to thank him for the help he was rendering to others by means of this site. I can only hope that I can touch so many peoples lives as he did. Thank you for sharing him.
Good to hear from you Tara,
I appreciate Chris's gracious contribution to the forum providing credible knowledge, and even more, I am grateful for his invitation to the personal relationship with him that inspired a greater hope living with CLL.
This gave me a smile for all Day! Happy birthday to Chris.
JM
Your Dad was one in a million Tara, a truly great guy. Big hug to you.
Thank you for posting and sharing your dads birthday. He helped me make some difficult decisions and become more educated about my disease. He is truly missed by the forum.
Miller1960
Dear Tara , play his music , smile, cry, and focus on the wonderful legacy your dad left behind for you. He was indeed one of a kind and everyone on this site benefitted from his wisdom , compassion and wit. He also had great taste in music . I will remember him now on his birthday xx Emer
May his memory be for a blessing. So thoughtful of you to share his birthday with us.
Hi Tara
Your Dad continues to loom large in our CLL world and his words of wisdom live on and continue to educate and support so many. I cut out a picture that was in Cure magazine of you and your Dad receiving an award. It’s on my refrigerator and I see it every morning and remember him. It is so obvious in the photo that he loved you alot. Wishing you the best. Thanks for posting.
CC
Thank you for sharing and keeping his beautiful memories alive ♥️♥️♥️ He was a very special person who is missed immensely ♥️♥️♥️
I miss him as well. He helped me so much through my adjustment phase. He always had something encouraging to say. Nice hearing from you.
Thank you, Tara. I was lucky to have known your Dad personally and benefitted greatly from his advice and encouragement. He left us far too soon.
Dear Tara,
Great to hear from you.
I was never lucky enough to meet your Dad in person,
but I am totally lost for words in trying to describe the phenomenal help he gave to fellow patients (and probably lots of others I guess).
He always knew just he right way to get people focused on the important issue, and educate and guide them through it all.
The sheer volume and quality of his help is just staggering.
I think he will remain a legend for a very long time.
Thank-you so much for sharing your post.
Best wishes,
Ernest
My dad has CLL with TP53 mutation 
Our 1st birthday, our newsletter, and a survey on how we make treatment decision.
My Dad
