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them.
“We wanted to help him. He could
have picked anyone to help him navigate
through life, but he picked us,” brother
Grant said. “This meant we got to con-
tribute to his happiness while spending
bonus time laughing together. We needed
these moments, and we absolutely needed
him much more than he needed us. We
simply would not be the same without the
lessons he taught us.”
People would meet Nick and then feel
indebted to him, not because of the prom-
inent family he was part of or if he was
giving someone something, but because
of the way he made people feel.
“He had this gravitational pull about
him; you just wanted to be around him,”
Grant said.
The way Nick lived life allowed those
who came into contact with him to do the
same.
“I think he connected with so many
people because he was so comfortable
with himself that it allowed other peo-
ple to feel comfortable with themselves
around him,” sister Gracie said. “That’s
definitely how I felt around him. I never
felt like I couldn’t say anything or couldn’t
feel a certain way. He was a very safe per-
son for me and a lot of other people.”
Nick loved his siblings and adored his
parents, and more than anything, family
was of foremost importance to Nick. He
wouldn’t miss a family trip, party or din-
ner. Nick was someone who brought his
family together and wanted to be around
them all the time.
“
As a mother with a child who was
chronically ill, he made it a little bit easier
because he was never afraid,” Jennifer
said. “He was like, OK, let’s just meet
this challenge and get on the other side
because I’ve got things to do. As a mother,
I think that allowed me to not suffer or
worry as much.
“Not that the worry wasn’t there, but
whether it was an intentional gift or
inherent, he didn’t feel sorry for himself,
so we didn’t pity him. And we didn’t nec-
essarily live our lives differently.”
MEDICAL CHALLENGES
In February 2018 on a visit home from
MSU, Nick fell and was taken to the hos-
pital for what everyone thought would be
a few stitches. As a precaution, the doc-
tors ordered an MRI which showed sig-
nificant growth of a tumor that was being
monitored just above Nick’s brain stem.
Due to the location, a less invasive laser
ablation surgery was chosen as the next
step. Unfortunately, it was not successful,
and the tumor continued to progress.
The following month, Nick was back
in surgery to get him out of danger by
removing as much of the tumor as they
could, knowing that further interventions
would be needed.
Five weeks of radiation and other drug
protocols were administered in an attempt
to stall the growth of the tumors.
Although the last surgery was
successful in saving Nick’s life, it
unfortunately left him permanently
disabled, requiring constant occupational
and physical therapy. At the end of his
life, Nick was in a wheelchair, yet he never
gave up the hope one day he would walk
again.
This past year ended up being the most
challenging for Nick. While continuing to
receive treatments for the tumors, Nick
developed hydrocephalus, a condition
caused by an abnormal build-up of fluid
in the cavities deep within the brain. This
required another procedure, which he had
in fall 2022. Complications followed and
ABOVE: Nick and his friends celebrating New Year’s Eve in December 2022.
RIGHT: Nick graduated Michigan State University with a B.S. in Marketing in 2020.
continued from page 15
continued on page 18
OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER