Today we’d like to introduce you to Chance Kerns.
Hi Chance, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Burlington/Graham, NC. I played sports through high school which resulted in me having two surgeries on my hand and extensive surgery on my right knee. In 2014, received a Scholarship to go play soccer at Montreat College, right before I signed to go play I had a shoulder injury that resulted in extensive reconstructive surgery on my shoulder as well as on my hand. Since I couldn’t play anymore I lost my scholarship.
Between 2015-2016 I had reconstructive surgeries on my left shoulder, second surgery on my right knee, and the second surgery on my right shoulder. I then started having neurological issues I was in and out of the ER and hospitals trying to figure out how to get these issues to stop.
Due to these issues I wasn’t Chance anymore. I had lost him a long time ago. I was miserable every second of every day and honestly didn’t want to be here on Earth anymore. I was in constant pain, physically and mentally. No one could understand me, and some days I couldn’t walk or talk, even when I wasn’t on drugs or alcohol. I was in and out of jail for selling drugs and didn’t care whether I lived or died. I pushed everyone away because if they got to know me, they would see how much pain I was in. One day, events lead to my family and me almost being killed and arrested. The next day, I decided to do something.
I went to a rehab in Wilmington, NC where I met a representative for Tree House Recovery named Brent. He shared his story and spoke about what THR does and why it is different than other places. I ended up going to Tree House PDX. shortly after hearing Brent speak in March of 2020. TreeHouse Recovery taught me how to love myself, which had always been a foreign concept for me. They teach you more than how to be sober; they teach you how to live and how to deal with life as it comes. Since leaving Tree House Recovery in August 2020, I’ve had four surgeries. Due to what I learned from Tree House Recovery, I made it through them in a healthy manner. I started Best Chance BBQ and now have sauces in stores across NC and some restraints that use them as well.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was most definitely not a smooth road for me. Since I was sixteen I’ve had fifteen Surgeries. I deal with pain every day as my right knee cap needs replaced and I’ll always have pain from all the other surgeries. Besides the health issues, I have legal issues pending from before I got help. I took a plea for drug Trafficking and Felony possession of Marijuana in 2019. After this, I continued to get in trouble up until I got help. Another struggle has been financial, due to the surgeries and Rehabilitation alone I have medical debt exceeding $100k. This has made it hard trying to start a company. I sold the only thing I had left which was my truck to get my sauces approved and in stores. Now I’m working on getting the money for the rest of the materials for the food trailer to open.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Best Chance BBQ currently produces 3 sauces that are in stores a Blackberry, Honey Habanero, and Original Chance Sauce. Due to Tree House Recovery’s Help in making sure I got there, even though my family didn’t have much money. Best Chance BBQ is giving back by donating some of its profits to Tree House Recovery,
What’s next?
There will be rubs out soon in stores in the near future. A food trailer is being built and we will be catering in the next few weeks. The plan is for Best Chance BBQ to create jobs for anyone getting out of rehab, jail, or just wanting to get their life together a safe work environment to allow them to get better and move on to0 bigger and better things. I know how hard it is to find a job with a record and I believe everyone deserves the Best Chance at a better life.
Contact Info:
- Email: bestchancebbqnc@gmail.com
- Website: www.bestchancebbq.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestchancebbq/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BestChanceBBQ/
Kevin Ruple
September 8, 2021 at 6:32 pm
The sauces are outstanding. Chance is a client of mine and I know his mother and aunt and uncle as well as his grandparents. He has solid business sense and wants to make his world a better place as well as the world for others. I had him ship/ mail two bottles of each sauce to me here in Cleveland, Ohio, and I told him about a week ago that it is almost gone and I need more. Thanks for writing this article for a number of reasons. And, if you read the article and this post, I encourage you to get a few bottles of his sauce. It is well worth your investment.