Chad Carr was a precious, beautiful, fun-loving boy who — on September 23, 2014 — was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Three days later, he spent his 4th birthday in the Coach Carr Unit of Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Coach Carr Unit is named after Chad’s grandfather, former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr.
Chad would undergo 30 rounds of radiation at Mott and then participate in a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He bravely fought for 14 months before gaining his angel wings on November 23, 2015.
Numerous stories were written about Chad, including articles from Today and ABC News. Chad even got his own superhero theme song thanks to his friends Ariel, Zoey, & Eli. All of this has brought much-needed awareness to this devastating disease.
It is important for us to remember Chad and why he was special because it pushes us to continue fighting in his honor.
A family friend came up with the slogan #ChadTough as a way for people to show support for Chad. Word of Chad’s fight spread quickly and continues to this day as the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation.
