HOW TO HELP
To contribute to the fund, click on the link below and follow the instructions:
http://prayersforlillianfund.chipin. com /prayers-for-lillian-fund
By Gregory Childress
gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645
CHAPEL HILL -- The parents of Lillian Chason, the UNC freshman from Rhode Island who died last month after contracting the H1N1 virus, have established a fund to honor their daughter.
Eric Chason, a professor of engineering at Brown University, said Thursday the family hasn't decided how to use the money donated to the fund, but said it could possibly go toward a scholarship for UNC drama students.
"We want to do something in her memory," Eric Chason said.
Lillian Chason, who had been on a life support machine and spent nearly a month at UNC Hospitals, died Dec. 16 after doctors determined that ECMO treatments could no longer keep her alive. She was 18.
Initially, it was thought that the family might also need financial help to pay for efforts to save Lillian's life. But Eric Chason said that is no longer the case.
"I think we're going to be OK," Chason said.
Chason, who chronicled his daughter's plight on a Facebook page titled "Prayers for Lillian" said he initially set up the page to keep family and friends informed.
"I was surprised at how many outside people were touched by the story," Chason said.
As of Thursday, nearly 10,500 people had joined the page.
UNC drama lecturer Mark Perry, who is casting the play "A New Dress for Mona," in which Lillian Chason was cast in the lead role, said supporters of the university's Drama Department would be encouraged to contribute to the fund.
Perry said a memorial service is being planned for either Jan. 29 or Jan. 30, the weekend the play opens.
Eric Chason confirmed that he and his wife Cate will be in Chapel Hill for the play's opening.
He said the family is also looking forward to the memorial service.
"We had a lovely funeral up here [Barrington, R.I.], but I know there are a lot of people down there who would like to think about Lillian and remember her," Eric Chason said.
