Family, Friends And Supporters Attend Memorial For 5-Year-Old Chad Carr
ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - Former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr's grandson's life was celebrated Sunday during a memorial service with thousands in attendance for the young boy.
Five-year-old Chad Carr passed away Monday after battling an inoperable brain tumor for over a year.
Pastor Vickie Lovell from Shalom Lutheran Church had become close to the family as she helped prepare them for the possibility of this day.
"I would go and meet with Tammy and CJ and Chad and we would talk about what it would look like when Chad went to heaven and I offered them spiritual support and we prayed a lot," said Lovell. "We did a lot of prepping for him earning his wings."
Orange balloons, a favorite color of Chad's, were launched into the air as services began Sunday morning.
Chad played a big role within the football team said University of Michigan football safety Jarrod Wilson.
The 5-year-old boy was diagnosed 15 months ago to the day and had recently been placed in hospice care.
Using the hashtag #ChadTough, people across the area, and the country, have rallied around him on social media, raising money in his name to fight cancer and offering emotional support to his family.
The boy's parents on Monday posted the heartbreaking news on their "Pray for Chad" Facebook page, thanking supporters and asking for continued prayers.
The ChadTough Foundation was created to fund research and raise awareness for Pediatric Brain Tumors with an emphasis on Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).