Former Edina basketball player Walt McGrory dies from bone cancer at 24
MINNEAPOLIS — A former basketball player for Edina High School and the University of Wisconsin died Saturday following a two-year battle with cancer.
In August 2021, during his final year of college, Walt McGrory was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, according to his GoFundMe page.
McGrory, 24, had to undergo amputation of his leg in April. Around the same time, doctors discovered cancer had spread to his lungs. He underwent another procedure to remove the tumors in his left lung, but only 20 tumors were removed. Another 30-40 were not able to be removed, McGrory wrote.
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"There have been lonely days and dark nights of the soul. But I have never been more optimistic than now," McGrory said. "There is a cure out there. I have been knocked down countless times, but I will keep picking myself up until we find it. This disease has taken a lot from me, but it will never take my uncompromising will."
The basketball star claimed that he had gone through all the known treatment protocols for osteosarcoma and the only treatments his insurance would cover were clinical trials. Even then, insurance would not cover many of the treatments due to "too little patient data."
The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team posted a tribute to McGrory on their Facebook page Monday afternoon.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Walt McGrory. The courage and fight that Walt demonstrated throughout his two-year battle with cancer was an inspiration to us all," Greg Gard, Head Coach for the Badgers, said.
McGrory appeared in 37 games off the bench over four seasons at Wisconsin and was part of the 2019-20 team that won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. McGrory announced plans to transfer to South Dakota in April 2021.
In 2017, McGrory broke the all-time boys' basketball career scoring record at Edina High School with 2,216 career points. He was a team captain his junior and senior season and averaged 26.3 points, eight rebounds and six assists his final year at Edina. He turned down a handful of scholarship offers from mid-major programs to walk on at Wisconsin.
So far, more than $136,000 has been donated to McGrory's GoFundMe, which has a goal of $250,000.