Nearly $41,000 Donated To Help Dying Man See Hawaiian Sunset

Ed Schwartz had a simple wish: to see a sunset in Hawaii.

Schwartz, a Ridgewood resident and lifelong environmentalist known as “Eco Ed,” was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in late 2013. The cancer attacks the bone marrow, which generates healthy blood cells.

More than 340 people donated nearly $40,700 on a GoFundMe page in just eight days to fund Schwartz’s trip to Hawaii. Schwartz left his house for the last time Thursday morning with his wife, Julie Tung, and son, Kyle. They boarded an air ambulance at Teterboro Airport. They take a charter plane from Oakland, Calif. the rest of the way to Maui.

“They tell me I have anywhere from three days to another week-and-a-half,” Schwartz told the website. “I’m betting this trip will extend that by a few weeks, but we’ll see.”

Schwartz endured months of chemotherapy treatments and the cancer appeared to be in remission before Schwartz relapsed.

“Once I was told I had weeks, we decided if I’m going to fade away, I’m going to fade away in Hawaii,” Schwartz told NorthJersey.com.

“We don’t have a game plan. We don’t know how long we’ll have,” Schwartz’s wife Julie Tung told NJ.com. “If he could just see one last sunset, it will be worth it.”

Schwartz’s friend Sharon Scalies started the GoFundMe page. The money will help cover additional medical costs on the trip, housing, food, and transportation to and from treatments while on the island.

(PIctured: a screenshot of the GoFundMe page set up for Ed Schwartz)