2005 Graduates, Matt and Chelsie (Fulmer) Sellke, Enroll Son in FWC

Even though the cost of their son's medical care is expensive, the experience at FWC is worth the sacrifice.

Matt and Chelsie (Fulmer) Sellke both attended Fort Worth Christian in high school, graduating in the Class of 2005. While at FWC, they were in completely different circles of friends. They were always good friends through high school but never dated. Chelsie added, “I found out later that our Home & Family teacher, Mr. Swinford, had been speaking with Matt and told him he thought we would end up getting married and to not give up.” Matt and Chelsie started dating after graduation and eventually married. They currently reside in north Fort Worth.

Matt and Chelsie both had teachers that cared, got to know, and connected with them both. “Mr. Kennedy was always a friendly supporting face and wanted to do everything he could to bring the students closer to the Lord. Mrs. Treat was one of Matt’s favorite teachers. She was tough but cared about him and the students. Coach Anderson, Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Bryant, Mrs. Van Hoose, Mr. Barnes, and Mrs. Bittick all contributed to our education and character development. I can still hear Coach Anderson telling the story of Adam and Eve and how Adam was a typical male blaming everyone else for his mistake 😄. He was such a great Bible teacher.” While at FWC, Matt was on the golf team and received the Bible award numerous times. Chelsie graduated with high honors and participated in volleyball and basketball. 

Chelsie spoke positively about the impact of Fort Worth Christian on her life. “FWC’s faculty and the environment FWC made for me helped mold me into a leader.”

Five years into their marriage, their son Ethan was born. 

Ethan was born with a rare disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis. This condition caused Matt and Chelsie to remove all food from his diet. Maintenance of this disease requires travel to a research hospital in Cincinnati every 12 weeks for sedation and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), an endoscopic procedure that allows your doctor to examine the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. “Even before his diagnosis,” Chelsie said, “We knew we wanted to keep Ethan in a Christian school. We knew we wanted to try to keep Ethan stabilized where he can grow up in a school and everyone knows him. After his diagnosis, this seemed even more important.”

In 2018, Ethan started FWC in Pre-Kindergarten. “We were not sure we could afford FWC, but after touring, there was really no question about where he belonged. He is now in first grade and we could not be happier with our decision.”

Matt currently serves as Director of Information Technology for a large orthopedic practice and does consulting for several other practices. Chelsie is a Program Specialist and Consultant for a medical equipment company. Both work full-time and have to manage finances closely. As it is for many of our families, the cost of tuition at FWC is a sacrifice. 

Chelsie reacted to this reality. “Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth the sacrifice? ABSOLUTELY! We fully trust FWC will take care of Ethan, not only physically with his condition but emotionally and spiritually too.” 

Chelsie added, “the management of Ethan’s disease is not cheap, so it would be financially helpful to us to put Ethan in public school and save the money but that is not an option in our minds. We know FWC is the right place for Ethan. From the moment we step foot on the campus of FWC, all the teachers make us feel at home. It makes this momma heart so happy when a teacher I have never met comes up to me and tells me how much they enjoy Ethan or how resilient Ethan is with handling his condition.” 

A highlight for Ethan came this past fall when he had the opportunity to serve as “Deputy Resource Officer for the Day,” one of the Cardinal Classic Experiences his parents won at the 2019 FWC Auction. Our campus security officer, Officer Jim, was Ethan's mentor and guide throughout the day. They patrolled the entire campus, visited each division, checked on the Cardinal Store, and patrolled the perimeter of the campus in Officer Jim's patrol car. After lunch, Officer Ethan got to visit the school’s security firm's command headquarters where Officer Ethan received official recognition from the President & CEO of our security firm. Ethan was also presented an official security officer badge from our security firm that Officer Jim got to pin on Ethan. To wrap up the day (after a well-deserved snack), Officer Ethan was asked to give a campus security report to Head of School, Dr. Misty Overman, and our three division heads. Read the full FWC story on Ethan's memorable day.

During the weekday, Ethan spends more time at FWC than he does awake at home. FWC is Ethan’s second home. “For Matt and me, it is well worth the financial sacrifice in our eyes to make sure that his second home is one of virtue, support, love, and Christian guidance. Especially in the world of today, I never have to worry about what is being taught when Ethan is not with us. We trust FWC completely and pray every day we can continue to afford to keep Ethan there.”