When he heard the news, he knew he had to be there for his family. He called his brother after the title game and told him he was coming back to New England with Olivia in mind.
“She’s one of the best people ever,” Chan said. “She’s just one of a kind.”
It’s been a trying year for the family, to say the least, but Olivia, now 6, has maintained a positive outlook. In remission and regaining her hair, she has leaned on Chan as a constant source of support.
Olivia and her parents are thrilled that Chan chose to spend the season with UConn, and they can’t wait to watch him play in the Fenway Bowl against Army on Saturday afternoon.
“I love him so much,” Olivia said. “He’s my uncle. That’s why I call him Uncle Ty.”
Chan focused primarily on basketball as a young kid. He elected to not play football his freshman year at Lowell High, but joined the team in October and realized he had more potential than he thought.
He transferred to Lawrence Academy after his sophomore year, reclassified, and began to dream big. Chan entered the national spotlight at an Under Armour camp and received heavy national interest from there.
“He was able to handle it,” said Lawrence Academy coach Jason Swepson. “He prepared himself for that moment. He was humble and continued to work hard.”
Chan chose Notre Dame because of the prestige, the academics, and the opportunity to compete for a national title. It didn’t hurt that Josh was a diehard fan.
The community was everything he had hoped for, but he knew deep down that he was capable of more. When Olivia was diagnosed, that was the final push he needed to make a change.
“Ty and Olivia have always had a special bond,” Josh Kazanjian said. “It’s his only niece. He’s been so supportive. When she was first diagnosed, a lot of kids on the Notre Dame team reached out.”
Life on the football field has been more fruitful for Chan, a 6-foot-5-inch, 320-pound redshirt junior, as he’s played a key role in a 9-3 season. Life off the field has been immensely gratifying, as he’s spent quality time with Olivia and the rest of the family and seen her make a marvelous recovery.
After a dizzying few months, Olivia entered remission in January. She continues to undergo treatment and has had hiccups along the way, dealing with lumbar punctures, but her spirit has remained intact.
She returned to school and began playing T-ball in the spring, then got the chance to do a photoshoot with Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock at Fenway Park. Olivia is an active member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Jimmy Fund families, and she’s also a bit of an internet celebrity.
Olivia, spunky and charismatic by nature, has 26,000 followers on Instagram (@GrubWLivy), where she reviews foods with her signature flair. She’s also a bit of a TikTok legend, where she reviews products as a brand ambassador. Chan has shown his UConn teammates some of the clips, and he’s thankful she has a platform to express her thoughts.
“She’s a warrior,” Chan said. “She’s a very kind-hearted soul. Being able to see her recover and be so joyful about things, even though some may not have been in such a limelight, it’s very powerful to see the spirit that she still has and is continuing to grow.”
Chan and Olivia share a mutual love of cats, and they had a blast sitting on the couch and watching football with Chan’s cat, Mr. Chow, at Thanksgiving. They enjoy playing catch in the yard, bonding over their favorite foods, and joking around.
“He’s very special,” Olivia said. “He loves me. He gives me hugs.”
Chan, a gentle giant, has a calming and nurturing presence about him that carries over to the locker room as well.
“He’s probably the nicest kid we have on the team,” said UConn tight end Louis Hansen. “He’s always a great guy to be around. He’s always making you laugh, making you smile.”
It runs in the family, as Olivia has a knack for brightening anyone’s day. On a FaceTime call with a reporter five days before Christmas, she immediately displayed her Frosty the Snowman drawing, then showed her Christmas tree in the corner and explained that she has two elves.
She conveyed her desire to give her father a haircut, then noted with a grin that her cancer treatment is “technically going good.”
“I’m a character,” Olivia said.
Chan now gets to see that character all the time, rather than just every once in a while. Seeing her smile through it all has put everything in perspective and reminded him how beautiful life can be even in its most fragile state.
Watching Olivia persevere has shown him what mental toughness looks like.
“Being able to see her fight through this has definitely made me a better person and taught me to never give up,” Chan said.
Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.
