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.

It is important for us to remember Chad and why he was special because it pushes us to continue fighting in his honor.

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A family friend, Michael Sydlowski, 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.

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.

 

Chad's Favorite Things

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.

 

Chad's Favorite Things

Chad loved music and had great dance moves. As a child with two older brothers, Chad especially loved any song that featured the word “butt.” Extended family meant a lot to Chad. His three cousins, Drew, Sydney, and Casey, were like sisters to him.

 

Chad's Favorite Things

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!).

 

Chad's Favorite Things

Chad loved many 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, Nini, Chuck E Cheese, and any holiday.

 

Chad's Favorite Things

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!

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Carr Family 2022

“When Chad was diagnosed in 2014, we were given no hope. But now, because of the strides in research, change is happening. Although the miracle we wanted was not realized, we do feel Chad is at the center of a miracle in the making.”

— Tammi Carr, Chad’s mom

Make a Donation to Defeat DIPG

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