By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When BGHS senior Tyler Boice was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June, his first words to the doctors were, “I’m going to disappoint my band.”
But under the stadium lights at last Friday’s Bobcat football game, Tyler didn’t disappoint.
One of the band directors, James Gee, pushed Tyler’s wheelchair out to the field. Tyler and his saxophone took it from there to join his beloved band for the halftime show.
This week’s football game against Anthony Wayne also won’t disappoint – as the community surrounds Tyler and his family with a “purple out” at the game. Those attending are being asked to wear purple, and purple wristbands will be given to those offering donations to support Tyler’s family through his treatments.
When Katie Funk, Tyler’s mom, learned of the planned “purple out,” she was deeply moved.
“I almost broke down and cried right there,” she said.
Funk, originally from Lima, has been astounded by the support the Bowling Green community has shown her son.
“It has really moved me to know this whole community has come together for him,” she said.
Friday’s game will be the second time BGHS has rallied around Tyler since his diagnosis on June 22. The first was in August, when the student improv troupe held “An Hour of Improv for Tyler” for their fellow thespian classmate.
Tyler, who is devoted to band and drama at BGHS, learned over the summer that his senior year would not be a time focused on fine-tuning his acting talent and performing with the bands he had worked hard to earn roles in – marching, concert and two jazz bands.
Instead, his time is being spent at chemotherapy, which will be followed by radiation later this month. The chemotherapy leaves Tyler weak. And because his chemotherapy is administered through a picc line in his arm, he is limited in what he can do, his mom said.
“The heaviest he can lift is his saxophone,” she said.
Tyler was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after he experienced a sore throat. Funk took him to the emergency department at Wood County Hospital, where staff could have just taken a swab and sent Tyler home with antibiotics, she said. But an X-ray was ordered.
“Definitely listen to your child when they don’t feel well,” Funk said.
“We went in for a sore throat,” and came out knowing that Tyler had a mass the size of a dollar bill between the main artery to his heart and his airway. Scans determined that the senior had stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, with multiple tumors, and a steady regiment of chemo was started.
“This is the year he’s supposed to shine,” his mother said about Tyler’s senior year.
But despite the odds, her son is shining in remarkable ways.
“He’s doing really well. He’s got a great spirit,” Funk said. “He has had so much amazing support.”
His demanding chemotherapy schedule has kept Tyler from attending much school so far. Last week, he had treatment on five days. This coming week, he will undergo chemo on three days.
But Tyler’s hard work leading up to his senior year paid off – with him only needing one English class to graduate.
“He really set himself up for success this year,” Funk said.
The other days were intended to be full of band and drama activities. Instead, they are taken up with chemotherapy, then later this month by radiation.
But his mom said the chemotherapy appears to be working – slowly.
“The bigger ones are slow to shrink. But they are shrinking,” she said.
Meanwhile, support for the teen and his family is growing. Karen Walters, another parent of BGHS drama students, said her husband and son allowed Tyler to shave their heads to show solidarity with his chemo-induced baldness.
“He’s a trooper,” Walters said of Tyler. “It’s nice to see people support him.”
“Karen Walters has been an absolute godsend to us,” Funk said.
When Walters approached BGHS Principal Dan Black about the “purple-out” for Tyler, she got full support. The Walters family was joined by a couple other school families to purchase 300 purple silicone bracelets printed with “#Tyler Strong” and “His fight is my fight!”
The bracelets will be available at a table at the entrance to the football field, plus volunteers will canvass the stands asking for donations. All proceeds will go directly to Tyler’s family. Walters plans to get the word out before the game to Anthony Wayne parents, knowing that support for families in need transcends any sports rivalries.
Supporters will also be sharing the QR code for the Gofundme gofundme site that was established for Tyler and his family earlier this summer.
Black said as soon as people became aware of Tyler’s condition, the school district wrapped the family in support. Within days he heard from members of the drama club, improv group and the band.
“He’s a great kid,” the principal said. “When all of this happened, they all stepped up and asked what the school could do for Tyler.”
Black said despite his treatments, Tyler attended summer band camp in person when he could, and remotely when he couldn’t. After all, as a senior he is a section leader.
“It’s pretty incredible that he’s trying to fulfill those responsibilities with all he’s going through,” Black said.
The BGHS Stu Crew assigns fall sport theme nights in the spring. But when the suggestion was made to hold a “purple out” for Tyler, the students quickly pivoted, Black said.
“Within 10 minutes of this being proposed,” the students had changed the plans to support Tyler, Black said.
“I’m so excited that we can do this for him,” Walters said.
