Seth was born on March 16, 1996, to parents Ronald and Charisse Boyer. He received a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan in 2018 and a Masters of Science in Physiology in 2021. During the time of his studies, he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity where he served as Vice President during his sophomore year. While at Michigan, Seth conducted research at the Onc
ology lab where he and a team of young scientists made new discoveries with respect to Pancreatic Cancer. In February 2022, this research culminated into a report that was published with Seth as Lead Author, titled: “Multiomic characterization of Pancreatic cancer-associated macrophage polarization reveals deregulated metabolic programs driven by the GM-CSF-P13K pathway”. Later that year a second paper titled “Differential integrated stress response and asparagine production drive symbiosis and therapy resistance of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells” was published with Seth as a contributing author. In August 2022, Seth sadly and ironically was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. After enduring partial tumor resections in August and October 2022, and months of radiation and chemotherapy along with experimental medicine, the cancer spread to his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which led to the very rapid spread of the cancer. By February 2023, Seth was bed ridden and had lost certain cognitive and physical abilities. With physical and occupational therapies, he temporarily regained his ability to walk and other cognitive improvements, however by mid April began to experience a rapid decline as cranial swelling increased pressure on his brain and the cancer spread to his brain stem. Seth died on May 24, 2023, as he slept next to his devoted Fiancée Erin Bookout, attended by his loving parents, sisters Ana and Lola and his King Charles Terrier, Duke. Throughout this nightmare, Seth did not complain, nor did he openly shed a tear. The courage, strength, mental toughness, humor and love that he displayed as he endured unconceivable physical pain, the slow loss of unsurpassed mental abilities and the realities that his life and future were being rapidly stripped from him, as he received perpetual dire prognoses from his doctor, all deserve recognition. My promise to Seth as his father, was that I would ensure that this suffering was not in vain, and that his name would live on. For this reason, I have taken the decision to create a charitable foundation in his name for the purpose of funding further research, and ultimately a cure for this terrible disease that has claimed the lives of so many people. – Ronald Boyer
