Article and Media by Andrea Martin. [divide]
Chad Carr, the grandson of former University of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, passed away on Nov. 23 after being placed on hospice care by his family.
Chad, 5, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an inoperable brain tumor, in 2014. Chad received chemo and other treatments, but his condition got worse with his mother citing suffering and discomfort as the reasons for placing him in hospice care.
Chad with Michigan’s football captains Joe Bolden and Joe Kerridge
On Sept. 23, 2014, Jason and Tami Carr announced the shocking revelation of their son’s condition where they were faced to either privately fight DIPG or to share Chad’s fight with the world. They chose to fight it with the world, and for the past 15 months, Chad has been a source of strength, hope, and resiliency with the slogan “#ChadTough” circulating around the globe.
Tami wrote on the Pray for Chad Carr Facebook page: “At 1:21 pm today, exactly 15 months since his DIPG diagnosis, Chad gained his angel wings. He left the earth peacefully and is now running and jumping in heaven. It is well with his soul. We will follow up with service details once we have everything arranged. We thank everyone for the support and ask for continued prayers for our family.”
Many college football teams, especially those of Michigan, rallied around Chad as they wrote messages on their helmets and wore wristbands to raise awareness for DIPG. The Carr family also started a charity to raise money for DIPG research, The Chad Tough Foundation, according to The Detroit News.
Ohio State football helmet with the Chad Tough decal
Outside of the University of Michigan, its biggest rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State, honored Chad by wearing decals on their helmets to show solidarity in their game on Nov. 21.
Chad’s death came before “The Game” between Michigan and Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 28. Michigan has continued to honor Chad with players writing “Chad Tough” on the back of their helmets upon learning Chad would be placed on hospice care. After their game with Northwestern on Oct. 10, team captains Joe Bolden and Joe Kerridge delivered the game ball to the Carr’s household. Michigan had just shut out Northwestern 38-0, their third-straight shutout of the season (BYU, Maryland).
In one instance, Michigan’s men’s basketball team, along with Ohio State’s, got together to decorate the Carr’s home with Christmas lights in early November. An early visit from Santa Claus was one of the highlights Chad got to experience along with his family before his young passing.
