The Michigan football faithful received sad news this afternoon when Chad Carr, the 5-year-old grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and former Hall of Fame safety Tom Curtis, passed away after a yearlong fight with brain cancer.
Carr was initially diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma in September 2014. In June, doctors escalated his treatment and began to provide him some relief. But two weeks ago, with his condition worsening, Carr went into hospice care after several attempts at recovery were unsuccessful.
Carr’s disease has united Wolverines and rivals alike. On Nov. 14 at Indiana, the Michigan football team wrote “#CHADTOUGH” on its helmets and dedicated its 48-41 victory to Carr. A week later, Michigan State and Ohio State wore decals in support of Carr on their helmets during their game in Columbus. More statements of support turned up on social media after Carr’s mother, Tammi, tweeted the news of his passing.
After Carr was diagnosed, his family established the ChadTough Foundation to raise awareness for rare pediatric brain tumors such as Carr’s.
“It’s incredible sadness, and I don’t know if it’s going to get better any time soon,” said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh during a weekly radio appearance Monday night. “Heaven got stronger … heaven has another angel now.”