Alabama Dad Battling Lung Disease Had 1 Final Wish, To Meet His Newborn Son—He Died the Following Day

Christopher Stone of Vance, Alabama passed away recently at University Hospital Birmingham after battling pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly lung disease.

Stone, whose health had deteriorated, making him too ill to have a lung transplant, had his last wish come true just one day before he took his final breath. 

Lung Disease Claimed the Life of an Alabama Father But Not Before He Got to Meet His Newborn.

As Stone was living out his last days in the hospital, his wife, Brandi, was nine months pregnant with their baby boy named Coy. On April 24, Brandi gave birth to Coy, allowing Stone to meet and cradle his newborn son. On April 25, Stone died.

Yes, just one day after meeting his healthy baby boy, lung disease took Stone’s life.

Stone is survived by his wife: Brandi Michelle Stone; Daughters: Lillian “Lily” Monroe Stone and Grace “Gracie” Bradlie Stone; Sons: Kolby Ray Stone and Christopher Coy Stone, according to an obituary shared by Bell Funeral Home.

“He made people laugh,” the obituary continues. “He made people feel special. He made people think. His heart knew no bounds.”

“Chris was a brick mason by trade, and an auto mechanic, following in his father’s footsteps,” it continues. “He was a hard worker and was proud of his many accomplishments, whether that be showing off homes or venues he helped build or vehicles he loved working on.”

“However, his greatest love, and accomplishments he took the most pride in, would be his children. He proved this time and time again, overcoming difficult circumstances to be a man his children could look up to.”

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) means scarring in the lungs. Over time, the scar tissue can destroy the normal lung and make it hard for oxygen to get into the blood. 

Approximately 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and as many as 40,000 Americans die from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis each year, according to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

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Those numbers are staggering. The Stone family was raising money via a GoFundMe fundraising campaign for his care. Now, the family asks for people to donate to help cover the costs of the late father’s funeral.

It’s awful that Stone succumbed to the lung disease but at least he got to hold his son before his final breath was drawn.