Gannon MacLachlan: No More Excuses
How a brain tumor diagnosis in his sophomore year of college has inspired him to continue to live his dream
College is a time to create lifelong memories with friends, while preparing for the next chapter of life. It’s a time to grow individually and explore new opportunities. When Gannon MacLachlan graduated from a Catholic high school in Boston, he set his sights on the University of Oregon to major in Sports Business and pursue a career in the sports industry.
His freshman year at Oregon was all he dreamed of. He did well academically, played on the club lacrosse team, joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and quickly made new friendships. But his sophomore year was not quite what he expected.
Gannon’s Brain Tumor Diagnosis
In November of 2024, Gannon began experiencing dizziness and slurred speech. After a couple of trips to the doctor, he was diagnosed with vertigo. When his parents visited him at school for Parents’ Weekend, however, they were concerned and took him to a hospital. This time, after scans and blood work, doctors saw some cysts on his brain but nothing else. Gannon and his family were told to come back if anything got worse.
A little over two weeks went by and his symptoms began to worsen.
“My balance had become a pretty big issue, and the vertigo became more severe. It started to feel like I was traveling to a different dimension. It was getting crazy.”
Noticing Gannon’s condition, one of his fraternity brothers took action and took him back to the hospital.
“He just woke me up one morning and said, ‘Gannon, you’re coming with me. I’m worried about you,’” Gannon said. “I’m super thankful for him. Because he saved my life probably. If I had gone longer, it could have gotten much worse.”
An MRI revealed a sizable tumor in Gannon’s brain. He was quickly transferred to a hospital with a neurology department. Within days, he was in surgery.
The surgery went well, and he was able to return home to Boston for further treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He completed a month of radiation treatment and now has started chemotherapy. He is scheduled for nine six-week cycles, with a finishing date of January 2026 if all goes to plan.
The emotions of the past six months have been overwhelming, a mix of fear and thankfulness. He quickly had to learn about what he was facing: stage two medulloblastoma.
“I was scared and I didn’t really know what was going on. I’m very educated now, but I wasn’t educated on tumors and cancers. I didn’t know what the likelihood of me living was … It’s crazy how much I’ve learned, not just about cancer, but about myself and about how much this takes and how strong people are.”
Fundraising for Cancer Research
After Gannon was diagnosed, knowing his love of sports, someone made a donation to the V Foundation in his honor. That sparked intrigue and Gannon quickly learned about the organization from its sports ties.
“I had not heard about the V Foundation before; I actually hadn’t heard about Jim Valvano either. But I liked the idea of it being sports-related because I care so much about sports. So much of my life has been centered around them. It sparked an interest for me.”
He learned the legacy of Jim Valvano, legendary college basketball coach and the founder of the V Foundation. He watched Jim lead NC State to the 1983 National Championship over Houston. His grandfather showed him the 1993 ESPYS speech, in which Jim announced the founding of the V Foundation.
These experiences led Gannon to partner with his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, to launch a fundraiser benefiting game-changing cancer research through the V Foundation.
“As someone whose life is deeply rooted in sports, being an athlete and fan my whole life and choosing to pursue a degree in Sports Business, this foundation holds a very special place in my heart. Cancer is widespread, with good people being diagnosed every day, yet there is still so much we [have] yet to uncover about the disease.
“The famous words of Jim Valvano inspired me to choose this foundation, and I hope they can inspire you to donate: ‘Cancer research may not save my life, it may save my children’s lives. It may save someone you love.’”
Gannon and his fraternity brothers have raised over $20,000 and counting. 100% of their funds raised, and all direct donations, go directly to cancer research, as the V Foundation has an endowment fund that covers administrative expenses.
Gannon continues on his treatment regimen with a passion to get back to school. He wants to walk across the stage at graduation with his friends – regardless of where he is in his cancer journey.
“I want to walk across the stage with them. I don’t want to be held back by this … I will eventually beat cancer, but that will show me that I’m strong enough to live my life even before I beat it.”
Gannon’s journey with cancer will inspire him for the rest of his life. It shows him the strength he has.
“I’ve said that once I get that last dose of chemo, I don’t have any more excuses because I will have done the hardest thing I’ll ever do. That means I just have to work hard at everything else for the rest of my life. That really keeps me going.”
