ABOUT

Cade Carlson was a father, dentist, an athlete, and a man who loved hard and lived fully. He spent his life in motion — drawn to contact sports and adventure, the kind of person who never did anything halfway. That same intensity made him the husband, father, son, brother, and friend we all loved.

After Cade passed, we learned something that changed how we understood the last years of his life: he had Stage II (of IV) Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. The diagnosis came from Boston University's CTE Center, after his brain was generously donated to their research program. It gave us something we hadn't had — an answer.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head impacts, and it gets worse over time, even after the injuries themselves stop. Doctors believe Cade had been living with it for five to ten years before he lost his life. Left to run its course, it likely would have progressed to a much more advanced stage within just a few more years — a future that would have likely looked nothing like the man we knew.

Understanding this didn't erase our grief, but it reframed it. We came to see how much Cade had been carrying, long before any of us understood why. And we found a calling in it: to make sure other families get answers sooner, and ideally, never have to ask the question at all.

Cade's Cause exists to raise awareness about concussions and repetitive head impacts, support the research that makes diagnoses like Cade's possible, and connect families walking a similar road. Every dollar raised benefits the Concussion & CTE Foundation, funding the kind of research and education that helps catch this disease before it takes more than it already has.

On June 28th, 2026 we're gathering in Littleton to celebrate Cade's life and walk in his memory. We'd love for you to join us — in person, or by spreading the word.