Warning: Tyler Trent’s Gameday Segment Will Likely Ruin You

Tomorrow before the Purdue game I am driving up to Kokomo. One of my oldest and dearest friends in the world is getting married and I am in the wedding beginning at noon. I’ll then be heading over to West Lafayette for our 7:30pm kickoff. It is going to be a busy day, but I feel like I should add one more stop. See, Tyler Trent lives in Carmel somewhere, and I, like many Purdue fans, will be thinking of him tomorrow morning. Today we got a small peak at his segment that will air on ESPN’s College GameDay, and from the looks of it, it will ruin us all emotionally:

It’s the photos, really. There are a few there where Tyler is younger that bear a resemblance to my own 5-year-old son. It’s his father struggling to talk about him. It is the striking contrast of healthy Tyler vs. Tyler being filmed this week. It’s a strange juxtaposition. I’ve been his age and lived the college life. It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that I was the one going to every Purdue event. I’m also a dad now. I would do anything for my son, so I understand the break in his dad’s voice.

This young man is such an inspiration. Through his fight it has never been about him, but about how he can serve others. Even after he announced he would be unable to resume classes (because, let’s be honest, he’s dying), he was more excited that researchers could use him as a guinea pig to fight his type of cancer for others in the future.

Tyler has an enormous amount of strength. I don’t know how much time he has left, but his spirit will endure. There is a decent chance tomorrow night’s game will be one of his final earthly memories and I would love nothing more than for it to be a win, not because it helps the football program in anyway, but because it would give him a great day.

Cancer is a hideous bitch goddess. My mother survived it 30 years ago, but it was a terrible scare. Personally, I know I wouldn’t have the strength Tyler has, which is why I admire him so much. this video segment is going to open eyes nationawide, but I also hope it serves as a lesson for Tyler’s strength. I hope it can teach others that humility and service even in the face of extraordinary adversity can do so much. According to Kirk Herbstreit the segment will air around 9:54am during GameDay tomorrow. I hope by 10am Tyler’s humility and burden to serve inspires others.

Cancer Sucks, Tyler. Boilers, let’s do this tomorrow night.