Chad loved his two older brothers, CJ and Tommy, more than anything. He selected the color orange as his favorite — the foundation’s primary color — because his brother, Tommy, said it was his favorite. Extended family meant a lot to Chad, too. His three cousins, Drew, Sydney, and Casey, were like sisters to him.
Chad always said he wanted to be an animal doctor when he grew up and carried around his two stuffed animal doggies — Barley and Frederick — everywhere he went. When he was diagnosed with DIPG, Chad’s neighbors granted him his greatest wish for his birthday: a dog! Despite protest from his family (“are you sure you want to name him that?”), Chad named his dog Tootie!
Unlike his brothers, Chad was always an eclectic eater. Some of his favorite foods included tofu, miso soup, olives, peppers, and pickles. Pizza was also at the top of his list. He enjoyed experiencing pizza in New York, but he says the best is Pizza House in Ann Arbor (bacon and olive round!).
He was a huge music lover and had great dance moves. As a child with two older brothers, Chad especially loved any song that featured the word “butt.” More of his favorite things: stickers, arts and crafts, hot tubs, shells, Paw Patrol, Blaze, “would you rather” questions, helping mommy cook, playing sports with daddy, digging for worms, his best friend Cooper, Bubba and Nini, Chuck E Cheese, and any holiday.
