After battling aggressive brain cancer for a little over year, alumni member Nathan Sgrosso passed away on November 5.

Over the course of eighteen years, Nathan’s sense of humor and charisma captivated those around him. “He was quiet, [and] reserved, but funny and quirky. He had a sarcastic, dry humor. That was pretty awesome,” AP English teacher Ms. Diane Taylor said.

“He was a very sarcastic man. He was the smartest guy I know. He’s quick witted and humorous but sort of like a guy who stays in the background and hates attention being drawn to him,” alumni and Nathan’s best friend, Noah Campbell, said. “[He was] very intelligent, very thoughtful. [He was] always thinking and having deep thoughts in his mind which he would randomly bring up in conversation.”

During Nathan’s junior year he began having unexplained headaches, dizzy spells, and continual fatigue. “Somewhere — I’d say in the middle of the year — he was absent a lot,” Ms. Taylor said. “I talked to his mom right after break. He was sick a lot. He had headaches and he was losing weight. She explained that they [were] trying to figure out what was wrong.”

Despite missing almost two months of class, Nathan took AP exams for both AP Language and AP US History.  “He probably missed somewhere near half of the classes and it gives me chills to write that he still passed a very difficult and pressure filled exam with flying color,” history teacher Mr. Derek Montgomery wrote.

It wasn’t until the summer after Nathan’s junior year that they found out he had a large brain tumor near his brain stem.

Before his senior year, Nathan underwent surgery to remove the tumor. “He had the surgery and it was successful — they’d removed most of it — but he was hospitalized for a long time,” Ms. Taylor said. “He had learn [how] to function. To eat, to swallow, to chew, to walk, to talk. Basically all his functions were severely limited by the surgery and it took a long time for him to get back.”

During his recovery, Nathan and his family looked to holistic treatment as a substitute due to Western medicine’s harmful results. “He definitely stayed positive and [would say], ‘I don’t really have much of a chance aside from alternative healing and being healthy,’” Campbell said.

Through his research and search for uncommon forms of treatment, Nathan found his passion for nutrition and health. “He was so quick to learn. He began learning lots of medical stuff and if he survived, his intention was to go into the medical field and nutrition. That’s what he had a calling for. He was looking towards helping people who didn’t have much money [or] other options, and weren’t going to get the help they needed from a hospital. [His dream was to] open a private clinic,” Campbell said. “[He was] the kid who could have cured cancer if there ever was one.”

During his senior year, current senior Grace Taylor had the chance to interview Nathan for the CAHS Crimson. “When he opened up to me about his story and journey, it really touched me. He was honest and real. He was just such a genuine person,” Taylor said. “He was so positive. He talked about how he took everything one day at a time and was hopeful for the future. That really impacted and inspired me.”

In spite of the hurdles, Nathan stayed optimistic. He worked one-on-one with his teachers, like Ms. Taylor, through his senior year and graduated with the rest the Class of 2014.

In the fall after his senior year, Nathan’s tumor returned and his battle came to an end.

On November 15, friends and family of Nathan came together to honor his life and say goodbye. During the celebration of life, Nathan’s brother Nick Sgrosso performed a song called, “Goodbye For Now.” Nick wrote it for his little brother hours before Nathan passed away in the hospital.

Even though he is no longer physically here, Nathan left behind his influence and inspired others with his story. “I don’t know anyone who can say that  they don’t have days where they’re lazy but seeing him and seeing days when he’s riddled with cancer and he gets up and he’s motivated, working out, eating healthy and studying. I don’t know how you can’t be inspired by that,” Campbell said. “That motivated me. I’ve been eating healthy and working out and learning and reading. Just pursuing things that I know he would be proud of me for doing.”

“He taught me a lot about determination, perseverance, the will to survive, strength, [and] indomitability of spirit. He was like a bright star,” Ms. Taylor said. “ Hopefully someone takes up his cause with these alternative methods.”

“He’ll live on through us and I know we’re all changed by him and impacted by his death. We are different because we got to know him,” Campbell said.

If you’re interested in leaving any words of comfort, the Sgrosso family set up a website in memory of Nathan at http://natesgrosso.muchloved.com/

If you want to listen to “Goodbye For Now” by Nick Sgrosso, there is a song player on the top right of Nathan’s website. Just press play.