Betas 'n' Bowties to donate proceeds to brother with cancer
When Tylere Presley was re-diagnosed with cancer, he decided to ignore what he called the “doom and gloom” of the diagnosis and bring a more positive light to his struggle.
The Central Michigan University alumnus and Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter adviser posted a photo of himself undergoing chemotherapy on his Facebook as a way to tell his friends his cancer returned.
To assist Presley with the cost of cancer treatment, his fraternity will donate all proceeds from its annual philanthropy dinner, Betas 'n Bowties, to Presley's medical bills. The event will take place at 5 p.m. on March 16.
“I never thought I’d be in this situation to begin with, so having them say that they support me even more than just saying it was crazy," Presley said. "It’s cool seeing that people care and are willing to help out.”
When he was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Presley only spent one day in the hospital. Now re-diagnosed, he has spent more than three days in the hospital receiving chemotherapy.
He received his second round last week. Presley began documenting his experience through a series of Youtube videos to share his story and stay positive throughout treatment.
“The videos show someone making the best out of the struggles they’ve been given,” he said. “I’m looking for a way to make my experience help other people. That’s what keeps me positive. If there’s a way to share my story, it can help someone else.”
While Presley uses his experience to inspire others, his fraternity brothers are working to help him — in addition to the Betas ‘n’ Bowties event, brothers set up a GoFundMe page for Presley’s medical bills. It raised more than $2,000 in three days.
Clinton Township junior and programming vice president David Wong said he was ecstatic when he saw how much money was raised. He had asked his fraternity to share the page and the numbers immediately shot up, he said.
“When you humanize the effort and put a face on it, it’s not just raising awareness. It's knowing exactly what it means and who it is for,” Wong said. “People like him are the reason I joined the fraternity. He’s the kind of guy where it’s natural to find the silver lining.”
Tickets can be purchased for $4 from a Beta Theta Pi brother, or $5 at the door. A ticket will get you unlimited bowtie pasta and garlic bread with choices of Alfredo, marinara and meat sauce.
