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Tyler Trent was a 20-year old Carmel, IN native. He was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to attend Purdue University and earned an associate's degree in computer information technology. At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone disease.
Tyler founded Teens with a Cause, which recruits young people to perform service projects for families affected by cancer. At Purdue, he joined the Dance Marathon Club, a student organization that raises funds and awareness for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where he receives treatment. He also worked as a sports writer for The Exponent, Purdue's student newspaper, and has written columns for The Indianapolis Star, the morning daily newspaper in Indianapolis, IN.
As the first student member of the Director's Advancement Board of the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Tyler helped raise cancer awareness with a younger audience. In 2017 and 2018, he was the Honorary Captain for Purdue's Hammer Down Cancer football game, which raises funds for the center.
Tyler bravely took on leadership roles during his last days in hospice and battling cancer. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research through Riley Children's Hospital, The Tyler Trent Purdue Endowment for Cancer Research, and The V Foundation for Cancer Research. He also worked for the Indianapolis Colts organization as a Data Analyst.
Learn more about Tyler and his legacy at www.tylertrentbook.com.
Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite
The Upset: Life (Sports), Death...and the Legacy We Leave in the Middle by Tyler Trent and John Driver is an inspiring story and a powerful testament of faith and love; a young soul's journey towards finding meaning in cancer through selflessness and joyful acceptance. It is the story of Tyler Trent, a young sportswriter and fan who, in 2014, is diagnosed with osteosarcoma. It is the first of his three battles with cancer. The young writer captures the emotion at the time when he got the news. When he knew his days were numbered, he lived his mortality in a spirit of faith, finding a purpose in his illness and selflessly allowing himself to walk a path that would inspire others after his death. In this narrative, one thing clearly stands out: Tyler never wanted his death to be in vain, so he gave up the remaining days of his life to fight for the support of cancer research.
The Upset by Tyler Trent and John Driver is beautifully told, allowing different points of view to come out, including the way the young man's parents saw him. The prose is crisp and the tone is upbeat. There are insightful passages that invite readers to reflect on the mystery of life and the place of faith, love, and family in human growth. Tyler writes: "At every turn, the real grace of Jesus for me—and for you—has only required that I keep showing up with my brokenness. When I do, he has promised that he will already be there waiting. Before I was ever a Christ-follower, Christ was a Tyler-chaser." This book brought both tears of sorrow and love to my eyes and I enjoyed the way the humanity of the protagonist is explored. In fact, there is a powerful light flowing through the cracks of his brokenness, a light that points the reader to the essential truth.
