Sussex County Man to Walk 200 Miles to Benefit Chip Miller Foundation

By MADDY VITALE Tom Eberhardt is getting ready for a journey of a lifetime when the 70-year-old walks from the highest to the lowest points in New Jersey to raise funds for the Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation (CMAF). Eberhardt will walk from High Point State Park in Sussex County to Cape May in a month-long fundraiser to benefit the foundation. He will do it because he wants to help others who, like him, have the disease. In 2019, the father, grandfather and family man was diagnosed with Amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in one or more organs, causing a malfunction. Eberhardt is currently undergoing treatment and is managing the disease, according to a CMAF news release. “I was diagnosed with Coronary Amyloidosis in 2019,” Eberhardt said in an email to CMAF in 2022. “I’m very fortunate in that it was diagnosed early and I’m under the great care of Dr. Mathew Maurer and his associates at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. We are trying some trial medication and so far, things are progressing quite well.” Eberhardt, who lives in Sussex County, sent the email about his diagnosis and treatment to Lance Miller, of Ocean City. Lance Miller’s father, Chip Miller, was diagnosed in 2004 with Amyloidosis and passed away a few months later. Since then, Miller has hosted numerous fundraisers to benefit the worthy CMAF cause, including the annual Surf Fest in Ocean City, Taste of OCNJ, Family Fun Day at the OC Water Park, and automotive-related events and gatherings in Carlisle, Pa. Lance Miller, of Ocean City, stands next to a foundation sign in memory of his father, Chip Miller, in 2019. When Lance Miller learned from Eberhardt about his intention to walk 200 miles to raise funds to benefit the foundation, he said he was so appreciative of the man’s dedication to helping others with the disease. “We see all levels of support throughout the year by way of donations or in-person participation at our events in Ocean City and Carlisle, but when Tom and I talked and he shared his plans for the walk, I was blown away,” Miller explained. He continued, “We are excited to share his story and look forward to following his journey as he walks some 200 miles in support of the CMAF and Amyloidosis research and awareness. I’ll be making a donation to Tom. Life is most definitely good.” In just a few months, Eberhardt will embark on a trek of a lifetime. He is ready. “A camper has been donated to me, so I have a place to stay each night,” Eberhardt said. “I can’t wait to do this with my support team and our great donors. To be able to walk in any capacity with what I’ve gone through is great, but to be able to walk for a cause, that’s even better.”

Anyone who would like to support Tom Eberhardt and his journey can do so by way of this link as well as a link online via ChipMiller.org. 

In addition, complete details about the CMAF are available online, including a portal for direct donations, details on planned 2023 events, and more. 

An undated photo of Lance Miller, left, with his father Chip Miller. (Photo provided by Lance Miller)