Edward Q. Lewis, 34, aid program's namesake

Edward Q. Lewis, 34, for whom the Philadelphia program Eddie's House is named, died of renal failure Wednesday, July 21, at his assisted-living home in West Philadelphia.

The program does not have a house but is a system designed to care for the unfortunate.

"Eddie's House is a safety net and nurturing environment for young people leaving foster care at 18 or 21 and without family or other support system," the program's website states.

Its staff and volunteers "assist with the necessities of health, safe housing, education, and employment training," the site states.

Clients "learn to pay their bills, finish high school or obtain a GED, apply for student loans, get a job, and live independently."

Sharon McGinley, wife of a banking executive, founded Eddie's House in 2008. She runs the privately funded nonprofit program from a Center City office, she said.

It has 15 clients ages 18 to 22, she said.

Inquirer columnist Annette John-Hall wrote in June 2009 that Mr. Lewis "undergoes dialysis three times a week, five hours at a time."

"Doctors told him that if he lost 100 pounds, he'd get put on a transplant list. He's already lost 125."

Two days before her column ran, John-Hall wrote, "his doctor put him on the list."

Mr. Lewis, who did not graduate from high school and was not employed, did not get the kidney transplant, McGinley said.

John-Hall wrote that Mr. Lewis and a brother had been "beaten mercilessly with a bed slat and starved by his stepfather."

Mr. Lewis was "taken out of his birth mother's home, only to endure the same horrific treatment by his foster mom - this time with a stick."

He was "beaten so ruthlessly that by the time he turned 21, Lewis' kidneys had all but shut down."

McGinley told John-Hall that she had named her program for Mr. Lewis "because I thought Eddie was going to die on me. I didn't want him to be here for nothing."

Mr. Lewis is survived by his mother, Sadie; grandmother Marian Carter; brother James Lewis; half-brothers Andrew and Dana MacNair; and half-sister Amanda MacNair. He was predeceased by his father, Edward Carter.

A viewing was set for 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, July 29, at the Pelzer Funeral Home, 845 S. Third St., followed by a funeral there. Burial will be in Merion Memorial Park, Bala Cynwyd.

Memorial donations may be sent to Eddie's House, Suite 1830, 123 S. Broad St., Philadelphia 19109.