A little boy with a great big smile and a confident stride became a part of the TCU family earlier this year after inspiring those around him with his unbreakable strength and positivity in the midst of a devastating illness.
Honorary Horned Frog, Nathan Lin, 8, passed away Friday after months of battling Grade IV Glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain cancer. Nathan developed his love of TCU and swimming from his mother, Cathy, a former TCU swimmer. Nathan took swim lessons with current TCU swim coach, Richard Sybesma, over the last four years.
Sybesma, along with the help of Make-a-Wish North Texas – the organization that assisted Nathan's family in making many of his dreams come true – arranged for Nathan to meet the TCU basketball and football teams. Sybesma then surprised Nathan in February with an honorary national letter of intent to swim for the Frogs. After the signing, Nathan swam a freestyle lap for the cheering team. Nathan's health appeared to be in better shape for some time, but in late April, the Lin family was told the cancer returned, and this time there was no way to fight it.
Nathan left a mark on the heart of TCU and of Fort Worth, an honorary Frog never forgotten.
The Lin family recently hosted an event, the #teamnathanline Lap-A-Thon, to raise money for the Make-a-Wish foundation in order to help other terminally ill children and their families. If you would like to honor Nathan Lin, contributions can be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
A visitation for Nathan will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Funeral Home, 3100 White Settlement Road. Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Friday at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road in Fort Worth.