Father and son attend Purdue-Iowa football game to provide hope

IOWA CITY, Iowa – At the end of Saturday’s first quarter inside Kinnick Stadium, Tony and Tyler Trent will stand up and join nearly 70,000 fans and wave.

The Carmel natives will look up and move their hands back and forth toward the top floor of the University of Iowa Steed Family Children’s Hospital, which overlooks the home field of the Hawkeyes.

For about one minute, the children and their families will wave back at the crowd, a heart-warming tradition that started earlier this season and continues build momentum.

The emotions are bound to overtake Tony. He’ll picture his oldest son, Tyler, on the hospital's 12th floor, even though the Purdue freshman will be standing beside him.

“Sometimes, you can’t put into words those feelings that you feel when I get to participate and wave and understand the pain those families are going through, understand the thoughts of ‘what if’ and understanding there may not be a tomorrow,” Tony said.

“It will be an emotional wave but it’s also an emotional wave of gratitude that my son is still here today to wave with me.”

Remember Tyler Trent? We discovered Tyler prior to Purdue’s home game against Michigan in late September. Tyler, along with Josh Seals, camped outside Ross-Ade Stadium the night before, looking to grab front row seats in the student section. They accomplished their goal.

Tyler shared his story that night.

He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in April. He walks with one crutch, bouncing between classes and moving from place to place. He hardly slows down.

It's the second time he's dealt with this type of cancer; the first was found in the right shoulder where a metal plate now resides. Doctors discovered a new tumor on the bottom of his right pelvis seven months ago. His hip needed to be replaced.

He underwent a 10-hour surgery in August but was able to start classes. He faces another round of chemotherapy starting Monday and is scheduled to undergo a 12-hour surgery Dec. 13.

Tyler can relate to the children at the hospital in Iowa City. That’s why Tyler and his dad are making the long round-trip journey to watch the Boilermakers and the Hawkeyes play a football game but also participate in this new tradition.

“I’m in a position now in my life where I can give back to others and I’ve been blessed with a whole lot. It’s a really small way of giving back," said Tyler, who is also a fixture at men's basketball games as a member of the Paint Crew.

They’ve made plans to visit the hospital prior to Saturday’s game, hoping to interact with the children and their families. Tyler wants to share his message.

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“I’m looking to provide hope,” he said. “There’s a lot of times where I’m like, ‘Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?’ That can be really hard when you’re in that mindset and you don’t think there’s going to be an end.

“I want to provide hope through my life, ‘Hey, I’ve been through this twice. I’m reaching the end of that tunnel and I can see the light. I’m not at the light but I can see it.’ ”

His long-term prognosis remains positive. Tyler hopes to ditch his crutch sometime next semester. Tyler still has about a year of oral chemotherapy treatments following his surgery in December.

“Hopefully, it’s going to be the turning point in regards to my health,” he said.

Since telling his story, Tyler – who is a data science major – has volunteered at the Purdue Cancer Research Center, helping with fundraising and speaking engagements.

Prior to Purdue's Hammer Down Cancer Game against Nebraska last month, Tyler participated in the coin toss, standing next to linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley.

“It was surreal. It was crazy. It was such a cool opportunity,” he said. “I’m glad people are willing to listen to my story and I hope it positively impacts others. That’s all that matters at the end of the day. Just take away some encouragement and some hope.”

And that’s what the wave does – provides hope in the simplest terms.

The idea for the wave was the suggestion of a Facebook post in August. It immediately took off during the first game against Wyoming. It’s continued at every home game against North Texas, Penn State, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State and now Saturday when the Boilermakers visit Kinnick Stadium.

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“I think it will be really cool,” Purdue redshirt freshman quarterback/receiver Jared Sparks said. “I’m looking forward to it. I think that’s tremendous how they set that up in the stadium to give those kids an opportunity to be a part of a great experience like that.”

It’s the same experience Tony and Tyler want to soak up. Tony wears a bracelet on his wrist with the words, ‘No one fights alone,’ as he watches his son battle his own form of cancer.

He wants to make sure the children and families at the hospital understand they have plenty of support from the outside.

“It’s neat that people can take a moment, and turn and wave and make somebody’s day over a simple thing by putting your hand in the air and moving it back and forth and how that small act of doing something can change a little boy’s or little girl’s life and give them the courage they need to continue the fight and continue to understand that somebody cares about them,” Tony said.

SATURDAY'S GAME

Purdue (4-6, 2-5) at Iowa (6-4, 3-4)

Time: 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: WAZY (96.5)