Matt Lacke lived just as any other University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee freshman college student, trying to find a niche for himself in the college environment and stressing about coursework.

The only indications of his sickness were his weight — once 165 pounds, he recently seemed to hover around 100 pounds — and skin tone, a pale yellow color.

Lacke died Jan. 11 after a 2 1/2 year battle with cancer. He was 19.

In high school, near his hometown of tiny Edgar, Wis., Matt was diagnosed with liver cancer during the summer before his junior year. In October 2004, he turned jaundiced and all his chemotherapy treatments in Pittsburgh and Marshfield had to be discontinued. During Halloween weekend that year, he had a liver transplant.

Matt made his presence on campus known quickly. The day he moved into Sandburg Hall, his childhood friend, Breit Nelson, a member of the UWM volleyball team, gathered some of her teammates and some of the men’s basketball players to help Matt move in. It took just one trip to move all of Matt’s belongings in, instead of the hours most freshmen had to endure.

“I wanted to make sure he had friends,” Nelson said.

And coming to UWM was one of Matt’s goals.

“He really wanted to go to UWM this fall,” said his father, Mark Lacke. “Matt always had a lot of goals for himself and that (to go to UWM) was one of his last goals.”

Matt showed his support for the UWM athletics program by attending nearly all the home games of the men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. His cousin, Billy Meier, is a senior on the soccer team and Nelson is on the volleyball team. Matt was looking forward to the men’s basketball season.

“He would always go and sit and talk with my mom (at the volleyball games),” said Nelson, whose mother taught Matt in high school.

But Matt found joy in school, too, at least when he wasn’t stressed about his coursework.

During one conversation over dinner with Nelson, Matt mentioned how he was nervous for his pass-fail English 101 course.

“I’d tell him it’s scarier than it actually is,” Nelson said.

Matt would de-stress by playing pool in the Union.

As Matt’s condition worsened in the fall, he was worried about not being able to complete his first semester at UWM.

“He was afraid of falling down right before the finish line,” Mark Lacke said. “He was always just such a fighter.”

Around Thanksgiving, Matt’s condition worsened. He had a lot of trouble walking after that point.

His mother, Barb, came to campus and helped him to some of his classes.

But eventually his father came down and took Matt to Children’s Hospital. Matt’s condition improved temporarily and he made it to classes on Dec. 12 and 13, just before the end of the semester.

On Dec. 14, he was back in the hospital in Marshfield.

Despite all of that, Matt persevered. He took one exam before going to the hospital and another exam was waived. His other two exams he took while he was hospitalized.

Even with all of the constant changes, Matt earned a 3.92 GPA last semester.

“He had a passion for finishing things,” Mark Lacke said.

But it was Matt’s outlook that impressed his friends and family.

“We never talked about his condition,” Nelson said. “It was really hard to believe he was even sick.”

Others marveled at the way Matt was able to touch people.

“Everyone that knew him was touched by him,” Billy Meier said. “I can only hope to affect people the way he did. It was just amazing what he did.”

Matt saw his friends and family often when he went out to eat with them. One of his favorite places to eat on campus was the Gasthaus.

“He wanted to get involved,” said his cousin, Shannon Meier.

And he was able to get involved with those he loved.

“He didn’t let cancer take over his life,” Nelson said. “He did what he wanted to do and he did it great.”

> Comments