Inspirational Purdue fan Tyler Trent dies after losing battle with cancer
Inspirational Purdue fan Tyler Trent has died.
The Purdue Cancer Center said in a tweet sent on New Year’s Day that Trent had passed away.
It’s with the deepest sorrow that we have to say goodbye to @theTylerTrent. We have all become #TylerStrong. To his family, words can’t express how sorry we are that he has passed. His life May have been short, but his legacy with be forever. pic.twitter.com/rONp00YoeK
— Purdue Cancer Center (@PUCancerCenter) January 2, 2019
Trent was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone disease, when he was 15. The Carmel, Indiana native still went on to attend Purdue University on a Presidential Scholarship and became heavily involved in raising money and awareness for cancer before dying five years later.
During his last year of life, he attended many sporting events and became an inspirational figure for the Boilermakers football team, even boldly — and accurately — predicting Purdue’s upset of Ohio State.
Trent wrote a book called “The Upset,” where his goals were to raise $1 million in cancer research and families battling cancer through sales of the book.
Trent had worked as a sports writer for the Indianapolis Star and Purdue’s student newspaper prior to his death.