Chad Edward's Team

My name is Chad Edwards, and, my wife Debbie and I are blessed with 3 sons. I am 49 years old, love sports, the outdoors, and spending time with my family doing anything that takes us outside from throwing a baseball to riding dirtbikes or hunting and fishing.  My boys are all grown.  The oldest, Cory, is married and now has a son of his own.  My middle son Tyler, lives in New Jersey, and serves in the U.S. Navy. The youngest is Caleb, and he is in his senior year of college.  When I was able to work, I spent my days as a carpenter and  later owned  my own construction and remodel company.
I began getting sick in the Spring of 2005. Doctors tried many different meds and courses of treatment as well as rigorous testing before they finally figured out in early spring of 2006 how to treat my illness. Ultimately the diagnose became, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) as well as Chronic Idiopathic Pancreatitis.  From the time I first visited my doctor, to the time I was diagnosed,  I had been become very ill and spent a lot of time in the hospital.  This time was difficult for me and my family as I lost a lot of weight, and became weak and unable to work.  I was forced to close my business, which was our main stream of income.  Naturally, that changed our life dramatically.   
The problem with chronic diseases is that they don't go away, and they eventually progress. The positive part of this difficult time, was finally getting a diagnosis and partnering with doctors who specialized in my illness. They were able to find a treatment that helped with the symptoms, and I was doing as well as I could, until the summer of 2012.  From that time until now, the medication and treatment has only maintained my health, not cured it.  At this time, the only option for me to get better is a lung transplant. 
The transplant process is a tedious and meticulous ordeal.  The progression of my disease has reached a level called End Stage COPD. What this means, is that my lung function numbers have fallen to a very low point, around 26%, and I can not regain that function with these lungs. This evaluation places us in what is called Pre-transplant status.
We have had some successful fund raising events in the last four years but most of those funds are gone.  The transplant program at Duke ranks among the best in the world!  While new lungs are not a cure, a transplant would improve the quality of my health and extend my life! We need funds to help cover the expenses of the transplant and the care I would need after the surgery.
We are a family of faith and we put our trust in God to help us through. I know through my faith that this journey has purpose, though I don't always understand it.  While we can look inward for God's strength to endure some of the physical and emotional effects, we  need financial help so we can afford the transplant.  The transplant surgery costs just over $1 million dollars.
I can't say enough about how fortunate we have been to have endured this long. I am so very thankful for all of the support from our family, friends and others in our community. We appreciate any help and every donation. I am commited to living a worthwhile life and honoring those donations. Thank You so much for helping!