080811 Celebrating and remembering Chad Blooming

  • By Sharon Haught
  • August 3, 2011
  • 271
                        
Summary: The life of Chad Blooming, who died of ALS at the age of just 52, will be celebrated and remembered during a folk concert, dinner and silent auction at the Tracy Barn at Quailcrest Farm on August 14 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. In 2004 Ellen Pill and her husband Chad Blooming received the devastating news that Chad Blooming had been stricken with a progressive neurological disease that leaves its victims unable to move, eat, speak and breathe and ultimately leads to death within 18 months to five years of diagnosis. The disease is ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. In 2007 at the age of 52 and just shy of their fifth wedding anniversary the disease claimed Chad Blooming’s life but before it did Pill promised her husband that she wouldn’t stop her efforts to raise awareness about the disease and funding for ALS research until a cure was found. True to her word, Pill is continuing a tradition she began six years ago by holding a benefit concert and dinner commemorating and celebrating his life and raising awareness for this debilitating disease at the Tracy Barn at Quailcrest Farm on August 14 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. According to Pill, in addition to performances by Cleveland based folk singer Steven Howell and retro folkrocker David Rosen, a light dinner, silent auction and karaoke will round out the celebration. While Pill normally focuses her sizable energy on raising funds for ALS research the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to an organization that stood by the family’s side during the final year of Chad Blooming’s life – Hospice and Palliative Care of Greater Wayne County. “This year all our proceeds will go to our local Hospice rather than an ALS organization -- as I had promised both Chad and Hospice that at some point I'd find a way to make a donation to them in his memory,” said Pill adding “Hospice was with us for nearly a year before Chad died and their assistance was amazing.” Tickets for the event will be available at the door. For more information on the event celebrating Chad Blooming’s life e-mail Ellen Pill Blooming at ellenfpill@gmail.com.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load