St. Michael-Albertville Community, School Helped Make Tyler Sizzle

St. Michael-Albertville Middle School East Principal Jennie Kelly will be the first to say that her friend and student Tyler Purohit, a seventh-grader who lost his brave battle with cancer earlier this month, never really had a chance to be a "normal" student. He arrived into the middle school as "new in town." And then, he would be presented the challenge of his amazing life.

"He came here in fifth grade, as the new kid," Jennie said. "And he lit up the room. You'll never hear a fellow student–even those who just knew him a little bit and weren't, like, his closest friends–say a bad word about him. It's always 'He was just so nice to everyone.'"

Tyler, 12, died from an aggressive brain tumor that was diagnosed in that very first year at Middle School East. It was staff at East who saw that Tyler was struggling with migraines and worked with the family, Kelly said. And it was that same staff that rallied around the Purohit family in 2012 when they were told the unthinkable was happening. 

"We had a lot of conversations over that summer about how we were going to work with the family and make this happen," Kelly said. "Tyler loved school. He was an amazing student. He loved science and technology, and those were the things we were going to keep him involved with when he was too tired for a full day. So we changed up his schedule a little bit." 

Teachers like Jared Simpson, who worked with Tyler through the second half of his sixth grade year, took on the challenge of instructing a student who was going through a rigorous regimen of chemotherapy and radiation, all while building a personal relationship with the Purohit family. 

"There are so many people who went above and beyond," said Julia (Jewels) Purohit, Tyler's stepmother. "When you look at the compassion shown by people there, it makes you pretty happy that this is the place you chose to live and raise your children." 

Students began to get into the act, thanks in large part to Tyler "letting them in," Kelly said. 

"He never backed away from [the cancer]," Kelly said. "He never complained. If anyone wanted to talk about it, he was there." 

In fact, he took matters into his own hands, according to his dad, Manoj. 

"He made a slideshow-something he loved to do-called 'How I'm Going to Kick Cancer's Butt,'" Manoj remembered. "After that the students in his KORT [homeroom] were all behind him. And it just spread around the entire school." 

Evidence of that arrived as recently as Homecoming Week 2013, when his KORT group made him a "hugs" blanket - made with fleece panels and tied with knots. Each friend tied a knot in the special blanket, which was on Tyler's lap at all times once he was confined to his bed. 

Cards came, as well. Huge posters were created, taped together and signed by hundreds of students. Others presented letters and cards via teachers and staff. Kelly became a regular visitor to the Purohit home. 

"These are our kids," Kelly said. "Each teacher, and each parent has that same sort of mentality. If something like this happens in our school, the spirit our people show to rally around that student is just amazing. It really is. The outpouring of love that flows from here to the families, whether it's meals or taking on homebound teaching, is special. It really is." 

Paul Jeffry, who was Tyler's homebound teacher this year, only was able to interact with "T-Sizzle" for a while until Tyler began slipping away due to the disease. But, Jules said, he stayed in contact until the very end. 

"Paul and Jared just really wanted to be there to do something to brighten our day," she added. Jared, in fact, used a couple of occasions to get Manoj golfing to get him out of the house on a bright weekend day. 

"We aren't longtime residents by any stretch," Jewels said. "But people just took us in. From our cul-de-sac here to the entire school, so many people have done so much. I mean, there was water and food here the day we found out it was cancer, because people wanted to help." 

And it reached into the business community. Just check Andy's Hometown Pizza's menu and look for the T-Sizzler. 

"We had him here in the kitchen," Andy Thompson, owner, said. "Jules and I were talking about some other business and she mentioned how much Tyler and his buddies liked to create these pizzas. So I brought him in. He took it very seriously. You think a 12-year-old is going to throw down some pepperoni, cheese and sauce and call it good. Not Tyler. He was just really fun." 

Thompson said he's working to donate proceeds from sales of the T-Sizzler to Tyler's Helping Hands Fund. 

"We will always keep the best part of Ty alive here," Kelly said, pointing to a picture that hangs outside of her office. "He touched so many people in a short amount of time."