Comstock Park — Konnor VanDyke knew he would receive an award at the senior academic and athletic awards night after being told so by Assistant Principal Tony Pektus a few days earlier, though he didn’t know which one. During the event, he had his eye on a glass trophy he admitted he thought was “pretty cool.”
“I got that award, and it was hard not to smile,” said Konnor, who received the 2026 Grit Award. “It was, I think, one of the happiest I’ve ever felt after being in school. (It was) the proudest I felt, and I think it was up there next to getting that 3.0 GPA, or close to it.
“Yeah, that was awesome. I loved it.”
Konnor’s battle with a rare form of cancer is familiar to anyone who has been at the high school over the past three years.
Early in his sophomore year, Konnor recalled, he experienced headaches so strong they sometimes caused vomiting.
“There were times where I would go into class, and I think the longest I ever made it was just before the start of my third hour,” Konnor said. “I would always have to leave the classroom and throw up or whatever. I would end up going home, and then I would be fine in the second half of the day. So it was really puzzling.”
Konnor’s parents tried to determine what was happening, asking whether he was getting a full night’s sleep, he said.
A Life Changed
It was Oct. 13, 2023 — Friday the 13th — when life threw Konnor a curveball.
On that day, the school was hosting a flex day, when students choose activities such as ultimate frisbee and indoor volleyball. Konnor was determined not to waste the opportunity and joined an ultimate frisbee game between the sophomores and seniors.
“I would say 10 minutes into playing, I started to get a headache, which at this point we were almost a month into this (so) I had almost gotten accustomed to it,” he said. “So I started getting nauseous, a little dizzy and started to have a headache.”
Konnor, who admitted his memory is spotty from that day, said he sat down in the bleachers, but the symptoms continued to worsen. He then struggled to reach the bathroom using handrails, walls and the bleachers because he kept losing his balance and coordination.
Upon returning to his seat, a friend encouraged him to go to the office, but Konnor wanted to stay for the flex day activities. Eventually, the friend alerted school staff and someone from the office physically supported Konnor as they walked to the office.
In the office, staff placed him in a sick room and repeatedly asked orientation questions such as his name, location, age, and who the president was. Konnor said he gave different answers each time. Staff then called his parents and an ambulance, and he was taken to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
“I didn’t really remember what was going on, but I remember thinking, ‘I’ve never been in the back of an ambulance before,’” Konnor said. “I only have a few flashes from that time, but one thing I remember is looking around and thinking, ‘Hey, this is pretty cool. I should remember this.’”
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Konnor was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a highly malignant, fast-growing brain tumor that originates in the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination.
Doctors performed multiple surgeries to drain fluid that had caused swelling and to remove the tumor. He also underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
The Comstock Park community rallied around Konnor and his family, dedicating the high school’s Cancer Classic basketball game to them. The Sparta High School hockey team, which is a co-op with Comstock Park, also donated part of the proceeds from its annual “Pink in the Rink” game to the family.
Finally, on July 29, Konnor was able to ring the bell, marking that he was cancer-free.
But Konnor still had a ways to go. He needed physical therapy to help correct his vision and relearn how to walk, and he also needed to make up his sophomore year of high school.
Konnor enrolled in summer school and rejoined his class in fall 2024. After school, he would head to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for physical therapy.
Through it all, Konnor said he relied on what many call the best medicine: laughter.
“There were all these bad times, yeah, but at the same time there was also an abundance of good times,” Konnor said. “Your attitude really just shapes how you’re going to go through stuff like that, and I think the best way — I mean, my attitude was just to laugh at anything, even if it wasn’t funny, because laughter is contagious.
“It’s always nice, laughing. I don’t think anyone’s ever had a bad time laughing.”
An Inspiration to All
Konnor remained positive and determined amid treatment and online classes, said history teacher Brooke Veneman, who has known Konnor since his freshman year.
Known for his humor and ability to brighten others’ days, Konnor returned to school with the same resilience and spirit that defined him before his diagnosis, Veneman said. Throughout his senior year, Konnor worked hard to stay on track academically and graduate alongside his peers, she said.
“The sweetest moment of my career happened this year at their graduation ceremony, watching Konnor walk across the stage unassisted and without his crutches,” she recalled. “I am so proud to know Konnor and the entire VanDyke family.”
Science teacher Angie Shields, who has also known Konnor since his freshman year, said a standout moment was when Konnor was crowned Homecoming king.
“As he embarks on his future, I hope he realizes how much his life has been an inspiration to others. CP will forever be ‘Konnor strong!’
“How fitting for a kid who has conquered so much to be given the title of ‘king,’” Shields added. “His sense of humor, kindness and spirit are more than some adults who have held that title before him.”
Konnor is now looking ahead, with plans to attend Grand Rapids Community College this fall and then Western Michigan University to study aviation.
As he made those plans, he reflected on his high-school career, saying he would not change anything.
“I’ve had the ups and downs, but it was awesome,” he said. “All the good experiences I’ve had there, all the fun times, the good stories (and) the food was pretty nice, too.
“I think the way I went about things was the best I could have done, and I’m happy about it. So I don’t think I would have changed anything. I think I just would have let it play out.”
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