Tyler Crump knows what it’s like to stare death in the face.

He’s been doing it for over a year now since he was diagnosed with Hodgekins Lymphoma.  He’s spent most of the last year checking in and out of hospitals, undergoing painful procedures to save his life.

“Life the hospital was hard,” said Crump.  “The chemotherapy made me really tired and I couldn’t move around much because of my lung tube.”

All this hospital time is something no teenager expects, and was a huge shock to Crump and his family.

“When I was diagnosed, I thought I would only have a week or two of surgery and then I’d be out,” Crump said.  “Then the doctor said I had Hodgekin’s Lymphoma and my family and I just sat around and cried.”

Crump’s mom, Kim Crump was fearful for her son’s life.

“We talked and prayed a lot,” said Mrs. Crump.  “We didn’t even know how much time we would have left with him.”

The medicine regime he was on also caused unusual side effects.

“One of the medicines made my pee turn green,” said Crump.  “Also one of my injections left a nasty taste in my mouth.”

He also had tests run on him almost everyday he was in the hospital and he was in the hospital a lot.  From February to May he had chemotherapy treatments 3 days a week and from May to July was radiation Monday through Friday every week.

“I had about a billion tests run on me,” said Crump.  “PET scans, echo lung tests, bone scans nuero scans, ect.”

Through this extremely grim situation,  Tyler found hope

“One of the biggest inspirations to me was seeing how little some of the kids in Oncology were,” said Crump.  “Also hearing about the Rider Relay For Life team.”

Crump is very gracious to all the people that gave to help out with the medical bills.

“I’d like to thank everyone here for all the support and money,” said Crump.  ” Hopefully one day I will be able to repay everyone.”

And the expenses were astronomical

“(Crump) was in two hospitals with two clinics and had to be care flighted from Wichita Falls to Dallas,” said Mrs. Crump.  “The expenses were out of the world but luckily, we had medical insurance.”

All that money was put to good use by all the doctors.

“My cancer is in remission now,” said Crump.  “The treatments seem to have worked.”

However, Mrs. Crump still has mixed feelings about him being back in school.

“I am excited for him to be back,” said Mrs. Crump.  “But also scared he will get sick because of his low immune system.

This is not the end of the road for Crump though.  There are so many things that he wants to accomplish now that he is back and healthy.

“First thing I have to do is get back into shape,” said Crump.  “A little while after surgery I started lifting weights and now I have a membership to the YMCA so I can workout.”

But Crump’s list does not end there.

“My goal in life is to play for the NBA,” said Crump’s.  “When I was admitted to the hospital I told my doctor he better have me ready to play basketball by next year.  I am very excited to be back so I can play.”

This journey was a long haul for Crump and his family, and now that it is nearing the end Crump has some advice to give the students at Rider.

“Trust in your friends, fight for your goals, and remember, quiting is not an option at all.”