Chris Tomlinson is many things: a father, a professional website creator, and a podcaster. But at his core, he is a Christian with a remarkable story.
Forty-year-old Tomlinson is a burn survivor who was once given a one percent chance of survival after suffering burns to 98 percent of his body.
When Tomlinson was 2 years old, he was playing on the swing outside his family’s home in Brandon, Florida. When his mother briefly turned away, he found his way into a utility shed. Climbing onto the shelves, he knocked over a gasoline canister, spilling its contents. A hot water heater prompted the gas in the shed to ignite—with Tomlinson still inside.
His sister Jessica, just 10 or 11 at the time, was in her bedroom during the horrific explosion. Younger brother Sean was not born yet.
“I don’t remember any of it,” Tomlinson said, although he added that he does remember the surgeries in the years following the fire. The pain that he endured was hard to forget.
Hospitals and Gratitude
After his accident, the family moved to Massachusetts to be close to his hospital in Boston.
“I didn’t know what it was like being a kid,” Tomlinson said. He couldn’t play sports like other children.
Tomlinson growing up as a burn survivor. (Courtesy of Chris Tomlinson)In his interview with The Epoch Times, Tomlinson reaffirmed that statement. “I know that it’s hard to see anything positive during bad times, but I’ve learned to—even during those times—take a moment to take a deep breath and look around and be thankful for the things you see around you,” he said.
Navigating Homelessness, Unemployment, and Faith
In 11th grade, Tomlinson had no choice but to drop out of high school and complete his General Educational Development tests due to the number of surgeries he was having.At age 30, his curiosity and knack for gadgets led him to a job fixing computers. As a shy tinkerer, he worked in the back of the shop, avoiding contact with customers out of fear of talking to them. Fortunately, someone spurred Tomlinson out of his shell.
“My boss put me in the front,” he said. “He put me in the desk and said, ‘I want you to talk to people.’ And at first, I told him I was too scared, ‘If I got to do that, I just can’t work here.’”
“Then, you won’t work here,” his boss said.
So Tomlinson faced his fears and bloomed.
“I realized that I saw myself differently from what most people do,” he said. “People are more interested in talking to me than I thought they would be.”
He loved fixing customers’ broken items and restoring cherished memories to them. He recalls an elderly client shedding tears of gratitude after he'd saved her photos. And it only took him 10 minutes.
Tomlinson became a father of two daughters during a period in his life when he couldn’t find work, while his then-wife provided for the family. (Courtesy of Chris Tomlinson)For Tomlinson, this was an incredible moment. Unfortunately, he had to leave that job in July 2013 after his wife left him and the girls. It wasn’t long before he was plunged into homelessness, having to move around between friends’ and relatives’ places.
During many points in Tomlinson’s life, he was angry at God because of the way he looked and the pain he had to endure. At one point, he even grew suicidal. “I was borderline atheist,” he said.
On his journey of faith, he'd experienced ups and downs over the years. A notable resurgence happened in March 2018, about seven or eight years into being an unemployed, homeless father. After listening to a pastor preach about creation and God’s handiwork in creating the stars, Tomlinson—who was fascinated by outer space and science—understood it as proof of God’s greatness.
He got on his knees and poured out his heart to God. He told God that he just wanted his children to be safe and have a roof over their heads.
After that prayer for his children, he learned about a government housing program and applied. Soon, he was interviewed and approved for a Section 8 housing voucher, which reduced his living expenses and helped him to afford a place to live.
In February 2022, he and his children moved into their new home in Port City, Florida. Astonishingly, just two houses down the street from the house where he was burned.
Ready for a New Chapter
In the summer of 2023, Tomlinson began a long-distance relationship with Sammy Joe, a woman he met through social media. That fall, he made an 18-hour drive to Arkansas to visit her and her 13-year-old daughter, Annabelle. In March 2024, he proposed. He is now looking forward to marrying Sammy and starting a new life with her.Life as a burn survivor has been full of extreme pain, sorrow, and heartbreak. Yet none of that has stopped Tomlinson from being an achiever and a caring family man.
