Tyler Trent

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up. Every day I fight.” -Tyler Trent   

Tyler Trent was a Boilermaker though and through. He was first diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2014 after he broke his arm while playing frisbee. After chemotherapy and removing the tumor, Tyler was said to be cancer free. In 2017, the cancer returned, and they surgically replaced his pelvic bone. Less than two weeks after that surgery, Tyler attended Purdue in the fall to study information and business with minors in journalism and statistics, with hopes of having a career in sports analytics. He loved all things Purdue athletics, especially the football team, that named him an honorary captain. For a third time, the cancer came back, but this time in his spine in the spring of 2018. That fall, Tyler gained national attention for predicting the upset against Ohio State. He was a part of PUDM as the Dancer Relations Chair and raised $103,000 that year. Tyler passed away at the beginning of 2019, but his legacy to inspire others and bring awareness to pediatric cancer lives on. Before he passed, Tyler was working on his book about his fight with cancer, The Upset, that was published after his death. Purdue created the Tyler Trent Pediatric Cancer Research Center in his name to focus on solutions to childhood cancer, and PUDM donates $10,300 of our funds every year to this organization to symbolize the $103,000 that Tyler raised. #TylerStrong