Greg was your normal, punk rocker, teenager with a real passion for music. That passion and energetic spirit didn't subside when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called chondro sarcoma at only 14. The tumor was on the cartilage of his shoulder and grew so rapidly that it broke his shoulder blade. Greg's three-year struggle with cancer had begun. Greg's father, Fred, shared his son's story of unwavering hope and unbreakable spirit. "Through it all, Greg never gave up hope or asked 'why me?' He was almost matter of fact when we talked to the doctors," recalls Fred. "It was always about getting back to everyday life."
For Greg, getting back to everyday life meant high school, his part-time job and his music. "Greg already played bass but taught himself guitar during his recuperation," says Fred. "I play some "old man's" bass, and when he got sick, we played music together."
Greg had a brain hemorrhage approximately six months before he died that impaired the use of the entire right side of his body and his ability to play guitar. However, this spirited teenager fought back and, after eight weeks of intense physical therapy, he was as strong as he had been before the hemorrhage.
Greg returned to living his life, but six months later, the cancer had spread, and he died during surgery. "We were with him right up to his surgery where he died and saw him right afterward," says Fred. "As a parent that's an image you can never forget. I try to focus on celebrating his life and doing whatever we can to avoid one more young man going through this. On one level, I like to think he knew it was time to go. I think that strong-willed kid said, 'okay it's time to take this to the next phase'."
Ironically, the Greg's family had been involved with Care Partners and Children's Cancer Research Fund for many years before Greg's diagnosis. "Sometimes God works in mysterious ways," comments Fred. "I kept asking, 'How could it be us this time?' But, I've seen the dollars that Children's Cancer Research Fund raises and how it impacts childhood cancer survival rates. It means thousands of family members won't have to say goodbye to their kid the way we did."
Although Greg died in 1999, the pain has of his loss has never ended. "We learned to put the pain in a place," says Fred. "What I hold onto is that three-year period and the incredible relationship I shared with my son. I don't think a lot of parents get to have that relationship, especially with a teenager. We have learned so much from Greg, and I like to think he tells me 'you gotta get up out of bed every morning and do life.'"
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