Tyler is 16 years old and on March 7, 2020 he represented his school and Section III Swimming and Diving in Long Island at the NYS Championship Meet and placed 30th in the State in the breaststroke. 10 days later on March 17, 2020, after becoming very sick and being admitted to the hospital, Tyler was diagnosed with Leukemia. He went in for surgery to place a port and began chemotherapy the next morning. He spent the next 38 days hospitalized, with no visitors allowed and confined to his room due to Covid 19 restrictions. In the last 10 months, Tyler has undergone chemotherapy, blood transfusions, daily shots, high doses of steroids, treatment for infections, and multiple hospital stays, which has been emotionally and financially exhausting for his family. Because of the type of cancer Tyler has, he will be receiving chemotherapy and high dose steroids for the next year and a half. Throughout this entire process, Tyler has tackled every obstacle head-on, with a positive attitude and with big goals to get back in the pool and back to being a teenager.