Are You in Chip’s Nation?

When I went to SHOT Show earlier this year one of the people I talked to asked me if I had met Chip yet. I hadn’t, and they showed me their Chip’s Nation wristband and told me to look it up. Well, here I am to tell you about it in case you were like me and hadn’t heard this family’s story.

Chip Madren grew up in a hunting and outdoor family, like so many of us. He loved it, and with his two brothers, he had a happy and fulfilled home life. Then, in 7th grade at the age of 13, he developed cancer. Specifically, medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that is the most common type of brain tumor in children. The tumor changed Chip’s personality, robbing him of his ability to speak and the ability to even nod his head. He could blink his eyes and almost nod.

Chip’s Nation is a group of people working to raise money to fight childhood cancers. 42 kids are diagnosed with cancer per day and 7 of those kids die per day. That’s a scary and sad thought, especially if you have a kid in your life.

In 2020, Chip’s doctor ordered an MRI for what Chip’s family thought was a mild concussion. That MRI returned evidence of the cancer diagnosis. That first year, he spent about 180 days in the hospital in Atlanta. According to the family, Chip received 48 radiation treatments, 10 surgeries, 2 shunts and a g/j tube, 18 months of chemotherapy, and countless other pokes, prods and procedures. He was mute and could not swallow for more than 10 months. the cancer treatment that kids like Chip have to undergo damages the brain. So if you survive the cancer, you then have to live with a damaged brain. Chip has made a lot of progress at being able to do simple things, like swallow, but he’ll never be the running, jumping and climbing kid he was. He has hearing loss and vision loss.

Chip is now 19 years old and thanks to the generosity of people in the hunting and outdoor communities, he has gone on hunting trips that as a 13-year-old who couldn’t even nod his head, he never dreamed he’d be able to do. In November 2011, Chip completed his chemotherapy and as of June 2016, his scans were normal, even though he is in therapy every day to regain his physical abilities.

Chip’s Nation members donate to the foundation. If you have a kid in your life, I recommend holding them tight and telling them you love them. If they like the outdoors, go on a hike or take them hunting. Remember, many kids love to hunt, fish, and hike and they can’t do it. Here are Guns Today, we have no relationship with Chip’s Nation and they didn’t ask me to make this post. I just think donating to Chip’s Foundation is an easy way to do some good if you’re looking for that in your life.

Image is a video still from a video on chipsnation.org