A Michigan teenager survived leukemia and then won a state tennis competition

NORTHERN KEGON Greta Goszkowicz stands 4 feet, 10 inches. Today, he walks much longer.

Two weeks ago, a recent North Muskegon High School alumnus grabbed the Division 4 girls ’tennis tournament championship Series 4 in a duel with his partner Marilyn Gaston.

It was a proud moment and it’s an important part of his story, but it’s not the most important thing even close. In July 2008, when he was 5 years old, Goszkowicz was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. She renewed in 2009 and was treated for 3 years. In January 2012, he underwent his last chemotherapy treatment and was considered cancer-free.

The conquest by Goszkowicz and Gaston of the value of the state as 2 seeds was a slight shock. But that’s certainly not the biggest win for Goszkowicz, now 18 years old. It would be a fact that he won the cancer and hadn’t been in it for 10 years.

At this point, nothing is impossible or too difficult.

I think sometimes when things are hard, I just think: Well, I’ve done hard things. I’ve done hard things before. This is not the hardest thing I have done, Goszkowicz said.

My parents reminded me all the time, especially (at the end of his cancer events), you are a survival story. You didn’t have a good chance of winning.

The next chapter in his Goszkowicz story could be even better. She is enrolled at the University of Western Michigan, where she plans to study as a babysitter so she can help others who feel she has experienced it.

He graduated from North Muskegon with an average of 3,922 grades, and in that he took Advanced Placement grades. He also competed in the final qualifier for the state of Norses in the fall.

The North Muskegons girls team team collected conference, county and area codes this spring. The Norwegians finished second most of the season and won third place in the state finals with Portland ahead of two parish schools.

Kathleen Goszkowicz calls Greta, the younger of her daughter, an old spirit. She said her daughter has always been a human connection.

The battle with cancer gave Goszkowicz an even deeper appreciation for other and simply life experiences. He said that when he was in the hospital, others had it worse than him.

It taught him an important lesson: Always show kindness. You can never know what someone else is experiencing. You never know someone’s story unless you take the time to ask.

When he talks to people, he looks straight at you, which many children don’t do. Even when he was young, he did, Kathleen Goszkowicz said. It’s just as easy for him to talk to an adult. I think he has a really natural connection to people. I think he knows that people are incredibly important, their stories are important and everyone has one. He is such a parent. He is quite open in this way.

Scandinavian tennis coach Cody Liverance first found out about Goszkowicz during fundraising for the school meeting when he was a sophomore in North Muskegon. He saw glasses, a small redhead with a shaved head.

Liverance officially met Goszkowicz in 2018 when he began his coaching. Immediately his mind took him back to that meeting and at that time a 6-year-old little girl.

Right away, it was like, holy cow! See you have grown! Liverance recalled telling Goszkowicz. Here is this high school student with a bunch of friends, she is a beautiful girl, she is so funny and dedicated to the team and works hard and getting better.

He was like someone who immediately caught your attention because you were like, I just want to talk to him and get a laugh with him. I remember the bet, of course, on him.

When Goszkowicz and Gaston scored the final point in a 6-3, 7-5 state championship victory over Grand Rapids Western Catholics top Olivia Vallivia and Karlie Kurlenda on June 4 at Portage Central High School tennis courts, emotions poured.

Goszkowicz remembers hitting his racket in the net and giving Gaston the biggest hug.

These memories came back to Liverance again as he stood on the tennis court at Portage Central. He was indescribably proud of what Goszkowicz won and how he won. Goszkowicz and Gaston are the first state teams in Liverances in five years to coach.

Liverance called it an extreme, extremely emotional day, just knowing everything he’s been through and seeing his cap on his high school athlete career like this.

He’s been through hell and back his whole life, and his just going on this high note is really amazing, he said.

Kathleen and Richard Goszkowicz lived that hell themselves as parents.

Recovery was a long process, although Goszkowicz was declared cancer-free. Things that people take for granted, such as the power to move your legs – and things that children enjoy, such as climbing trees and riding a bike, were not Goszkowicz’s thing at first.

With the help of the tight, caring community of North Muskegon, now gathering with Tate Pannucci, a rising high school freshman fighting the same type of leukemia Goszkowicz with whom Goszkowicz has been successful. He is a champion in more than one way.

When you see him in his hospital bed and then you sit and watch him play that way and then you win, Kathleen Goszkowicz said proudly behind in an emotional moment.

I mean, it’s enough for us that he’s playing, let alone winning, and that the sheer joy of doing something so big for him on a scale that was absolutely amazing.

Goszkowicz had a calming effect on Gaston. When the second set was 5-5 and offered by Gastons, followed by their opponent, he told the freshman to take a deep breath and that he could do it.

Truth be told, Goszkowicz had to keep himself calm. He kept thinking, how crazy is this? I’m in this place after everything I’ve been through. All these people are watching me and I couldn’t play on this field without their support along the way.

When Gaston hit the winning shot on his return, it felt slowed down for Goszkowicz.

I just thought there was no way we could get the title of this particular state, he said, still laughing in disbelief.

I remember seeing Cody standing on the other side of the tennis court and lost it. I’m still emotional about it. I’ve had so many people congratulating me and my partner, and it’s been a little crazy. I would never think that’s how people would remember me.