Support for the Kohn Family
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We are devastated to share that Greg Kohn passed away on Saturday, March 7. He was an amazing husband, father, brother, son-in-law, uncle, cousin, extended family member, and friend loved by all. Greg was a positive person, who loved life and always put his family first.
Greg battled leukemia and lymphoma for three years. In January 2018 he underwent a successful bone marrow transplant for the leukemia, only to learn shortly thereafter that the cancer had progressed to lymphoma in this kidneys. After chemo treatment, the cancer went into remission, but Greg continued to suffer from a host of medical issues, including blood clots in his arm, a heart attack and fluid around his heart, pancreatitis, gallbladder issues, breathing problems, graft vs. host disease, a number of physical ailments, such as drop foot and elbow tendonitis, among others. When a person undergoes a bone marrow transplant, their immune system needs to be killed off in order for the new cells to enter a fresh host. With a compromised immune system, Greg was besieged by every virus and bug that passed by him. As a result, he spent much of 2019 in hospitals fighting against rare forms of pneumonia, C’diff (a hospital acquired infection), sepsis, and sinus and other life-threatening infections.
Due to the cancer, Greg was forced to retire early from a teaching job he very much loved and took pride in.
In January 2020, Greg learned that his cancer had come back; cells were found in his lungs, heart, diaphragm, and kidneys. Always a fighter, he started another round of chemo in the hopes of going into remission once again. The treatment was tough and his doctors were confident that success would be found. But, God had other plans and called Greg home on March 7th. He passed away from a massive stoke and brain bleed, not from the cancer. Even though he was fighting cancer once again, his death was sudden and unexpected.
Greg worked hard throughout his whole life and cared for every single person he met. He earned a master’s degree in special education, over the years, Greg taught students with special needs as well as social sciences and PE. He believed strongly in the power of physical activity and was an athlete for most his life until felled by cancer. His proudest accomplishment was preparing his students to excel in life. There was never a bad day at work for Greg.
Complicating matters, Greg’s wife Elizabeth fell in late August and broke her femur in three places necessitating emergency surgery to insert three rods. Unfortunately, the break did not heal properly and one of the rods broke. A second surgery took place on January 30, 2020. The original rods had to be removed and replaced. Elizabeth continues to recover from the second surgery and is not able to walk yet. She hasn’t been able to work in more than six months and a date when she might be able to go back to work is uncertain. Her benefits were terminated and her employer recently posted her position in an online job posting forum.
One of Greg’s sons was forced to let his business lapse in order to take care of his father over the past three years. Another son has a new baby. And, his other son is an aspiring baseball player, playing in the minor leagues, where pay is very low.
Greg took pride in his family, especially in his three sons. I met Greg’s youngest son, Zach, through playing collegiate baseball at Central Michigan. We became very close friends during our three years of college and I was able to witness many of the highs and lows of Greg’s journey. Even through his struggle with cancer, Greg was Zach’s biggest fan. He was always supportive of Zach chasing his dreams and playing professional baseball.
Please consider helping out Greg’s loved ones through this difficult time as they navigate this tragedy and move forward in life without him. Donations will go directly to his wife, Elizabeth Kohn, to help with end-of-life and funeral costs, and future expenses.
Thank you so very much.
Greg battled leukemia and lymphoma for three years. In January 2018 he underwent a successful bone marrow transplant for the leukemia, only to learn shortly thereafter that the cancer had progressed to lymphoma in this kidneys. After chemo treatment, the cancer went into remission, but Greg continued to suffer from a host of medical issues, including blood clots in his arm, a heart attack and fluid around his heart, pancreatitis, gallbladder issues, breathing problems, graft vs. host disease, a number of physical ailments, such as drop foot and elbow tendonitis, among others. When a person undergoes a bone marrow transplant, their immune system needs to be killed off in order for the new cells to enter a fresh host. With a compromised immune system, Greg was besieged by every virus and bug that passed by him. As a result, he spent much of 2019 in hospitals fighting against rare forms of pneumonia, C’diff (a hospital acquired infection), sepsis, and sinus and other life-threatening infections.
Due to the cancer, Greg was forced to retire early from a teaching job he very much loved and took pride in.
In January 2020, Greg learned that his cancer had come back; cells were found in his lungs, heart, diaphragm, and kidneys. Always a fighter, he started another round of chemo in the hopes of going into remission once again. The treatment was tough and his doctors were confident that success would be found. But, God had other plans and called Greg home on March 7th. He passed away from a massive stoke and brain bleed, not from the cancer. Even though he was fighting cancer once again, his death was sudden and unexpected.
Greg worked hard throughout his whole life and cared for every single person he met. He earned a master’s degree in special education, over the years, Greg taught students with special needs as well as social sciences and PE. He believed strongly in the power of physical activity and was an athlete for most his life until felled by cancer. His proudest accomplishment was preparing his students to excel in life. There was never a bad day at work for Greg.
Complicating matters, Greg’s wife Elizabeth fell in late August and broke her femur in three places necessitating emergency surgery to insert three rods. Unfortunately, the break did not heal properly and one of the rods broke. A second surgery took place on January 30, 2020. The original rods had to be removed and replaced. Elizabeth continues to recover from the second surgery and is not able to walk yet. She hasn’t been able to work in more than six months and a date when she might be able to go back to work is uncertain. Her benefits were terminated and her employer recently posted her position in an online job posting forum.
One of Greg’s sons was forced to let his business lapse in order to take care of his father over the past three years. Another son has a new baby. And, his other son is an aspiring baseball player, playing in the minor leagues, where pay is very low.
Greg took pride in his family, especially in his three sons. I met Greg’s youngest son, Zach, through playing collegiate baseball at Central Michigan. We became very close friends during our three years of college and I was able to witness many of the highs and lows of Greg’s journey. Even through his struggle with cancer, Greg was Zach’s biggest fan. He was always supportive of Zach chasing his dreams and playing professional baseball.
Please consider helping out Greg’s loved ones through this difficult time as they navigate this tragedy and move forward in life without him. Donations will go directly to his wife, Elizabeth Kohn, to help with end-of-life and funeral costs, and future expenses.
Thank you so very much.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jack Collins
Organizer
De Pere, WI
Elizabeth Kohn
Beneficiary