This summer, Isaac Chiu’s life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Chiu, a third-year business administration major, joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity’s Kappa Delta chapter this spring and his fraternity brothers immediately stepped in to offer help.
Members of the fraternity shaved their heads in solidarity after Chiu began chemotherapy in August. This initiative inspired the group to design t-shirts, which were sold to raise money for Chiu’s hospital bills.
The front of the shirts display a barbershop pole to represent their shaved heads, while the back features a shield with “Team Chiu” in the center. The design is printed on gray fabric, a color known as the universal symbol of brain cancer.
“When Isaac was first being diagnosed, he was so positive, so uplifted and he almost seemed unfazed by it. And that was so inspirational to me,” said Jack Applegate, a third-year business administration and design combined major and the fundraiser’s organizer. “It made me want to do anything I could to help him and use our network and community to show him the support he deserves.”
Chiu, 20, was diagnosed with germinoma, a rare type of brain cancer that develops a germ cell tumor in the brain. Treatment for germinoma usually includes a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Chiu began radiation Aug. 14, less than a month before he started the fall semester as a full-time student.
“A lot of days are slow, you’re just in bed, waiting for the next day, hoping the pain goes away,” Chiu said. “I have a new perspective on everything, like going out and being able to hang out with my friends, go to [Martha’s] Vineyard, go to the Cape and hang out with my old friend group. I appreciate that a lot more.”
The t-shirts and shaved heads weren’t all that Applegate organized to help Chiu. The fraternity also set up a GoFundMe that met its $10,000 goal in under 48 hours.
“I’ve received so many donations from families and individuals that it goes to show how much people at school care about me, and that means the world,” Chiu said.
Chiu emphasized the necessity of support from both the Northeastern community and people back home.
“The support is the only thing that gets me through it,” Chiu said. “It means everything to me. I’m just going to try to live as normal of a life as I can.”
The impact of Chiu’s diagnosis and the fundraiser has taught members of the fraternity valuable life lessons.
“I don’t really ever think about something like this happening to someone younger than me, so it gives me perspective that I can’t take every day for granted,” said Alexander Hartman, a fourth-year biochemistry major and the president of Pi Kappa Alpha. “If he’s going through all of that and can still keep a smile on his face, I could probably take a lesson out of that.”
Hartman said that this experience will likely change the fraternity as a whole.
“I’m hoping that we can start doing fundraisers as an annual thing to get more involved with the community around Northeastern,” Hartman said.
Chiu himself hopes to become a voice to raise awareness for students battling cancer.
“I’d be more than happy to speak with whoever would like to speak with me and seek guidance on it,” he said. “My advice would be, if you know someone going through that, reach out to them, even though they might not respond right away.”
Even after his diagnosis, Chiu’s fraternity brothers emphasized that he always has a smile on his face, no matter what he is going through. In his personal life, Chiu’s family and friends constantly invite him to spend time with them to ensure he feels supported.
“He’s a really special kid and not many people are able to take this horrible diagnosis that is going to change his life forever and maintain that same internal fire of positive emotions, humor, smiles and laughter that he has had,” Applegate said.
