I’d never heard about Tyler Trent until sometime back before the Ohio State Buckeyes and Purdue Boilermakers football game in October. The week leading up to the game, Tyler Trent’s name became more and more prominent.
Tyler Trent was diagnosed with osteosarcoma as a 15 year old in 2014. In 2018, cancer spread to his spine. He had been attending college at Purdue University at the time and had to return home to his family in September of this past year.
Trent and his family had made plans to attend the October 20 game against Ohio State. Many assumed that this may be his last trip to the Purdue campus. It was that week, I remember Tyler making a prediction that Purdue would beat Ohio State. What????? As much as my little Ohio heart didn’t want that to happen, as the game progressed, I began to want Purdue to win too...for Tyler. The Boilermakers ended up upsetting Ohio State just like Trent had predicted!
In the two months that followed, Tyler received many awards, co-hosted an episode of Sports Center, and wrote guest columns for the Indianapolis Star newspaper. He used his platform to bring in thousands of dollars for cancer research funds.
Tyler Trent died January 1, 2019. Tyler Trent got a chance to speak at his own Memorial Service by video. Check out what he had to say….
“The first time I had cancer, there was a lack of trust. I did not trust the Lord in any way, shape or form. I didn’t think He could heal me. I thought He was out to get me cause of the mistakes I made. This time around, I’m fully confident in whatever and trust Him for whatever He has planned, it’s for the better. I don’t know what that is yet.”
“At this point, time is really precious to me. When you’re healthy and life’s going right, its not as precious as it should be. When time becomes precious for other people I want them to have the same security and confidence and hope that I have. The option is to sit around and do nothing or go out and do something.”
“I want to be a good representation for Christ for those around me now and those who’ve always been there for me on my entire journey. I always want to be impacting and providing hope and being a good steward of those opportunities.”
“If Christ has allowed me to live this long, this is pretty unprecedented for anyone with this cancer. The Lord commands us to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. He says not just the good circumstances but all circumstances. My strength comes from the faith I have and is accessible to anyone who believes in Christ. If you don’t believe in Christ, that strength is not possible.”
“It’s easy to shake your fist at God because you’re paralyzed from waste down or on your left side or have to go through pain from emergency surgeries. He’s given me my cancer for a reason and wants to be glorified in this cancer. I want to leave a legacy of what the Lord can do when you allow him to work. There is always time in the day to give glory to God. If you don’t think you have time for the Lord, make time. We don’t know how many days we have. No one does. There’s one person that does.”
Sometimes you and I complain about the most insignificant things. We wake up grouchy and mad the world. We get sideways about the silliest of things. Maybe it’s time to rise up and live like you're dying. Tyler left a legacy for you and I. Let’s rise up!
“His goal was to leave a legacy- but not his own. He wanted people to see him and think about how Christ worked in him. He wanted people to see more than Tyler Trent, more than a cancer fighter-he wanted people to see God.” Annie Osborne
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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