Chad Smith’s Surgery

This is my friend Chad Smith.  Chad’s been battling Crohn’s disease since the age of 16. I’ve seen it wreak havoc on his life, and I’ve watched him fight back bravely and repeatedly.  He came to our baby’s gender reveal and looked as sick and sunken as I had ever seen him, as you can see in the top picture. He looked so frail and malnourished and I could see just getting around for him was a monumental task. The bottom picture was taken 8 months after I saw my friend and wept for him after I had time alone to myself that night.  I honestly thought he might die soon.  He’s fought his way back from that brink and he did it in preparation for the surgeries that lie ahead that could help him restore some level of normalcy and wellness to his life.  He has a fistula that must be operated on 1st, and doctors want to salvage what is left of his colon that is still healthy and connect it so he will no longer have to wear a colostomy bag on his second surgery.  I’ve talked to Chad to see what is the minimum we can raise to get him to his first surgery Sept 6 and all he needs to make his trip up to the Cleveland Clinic for the first of these complex surgeries is $500, but I sure would love if we could raise more to help with his next surgery.  Please help me rally around my friend who has worked so very hard just to get healthy enough to be operated on.  Thank you so much!