Michelle Horback Palgut TigerGate – Written by Jenny Pawlowski
Many have wondered during their lifetime what they would do if they only had a short time to live. For my friend, Michelle, this became reality when she learned at the age of 31 she had terminal cancer. As one of her closest friends, I went over to her house after she broke the news to show my support and help her cope with her prognosis. I will never forget the heartache of hugging Michelle and listening to her cry that “she didn’t want to die.” After seeing the pain in her eyes, I asked her to focus on what she wanted to do during her remaining days. She had two final wishes — one involved her daughter and the other was to go to a Tiger game like we had so many times during our friendship.
It was nine years earlier that Michelle and I were having dinner and started talking about getting a group of friends together for a few Saturday Tiger games. The more we discussed the idea, the more we both felt it would be a perfect way to keep our group of friends together, cheer on our hometown Tigers and act like we were back at MSU. The first year we had a group of 15 friends, the second year 30 friends and as the years went by, the number grew to almost 90 people per game. Our idea had changed from a Tiger game to a Tiger event as the group would get together hours before the game to tailgate and grill. Eventually the group that Michelle and I founded became known as “TigerGate.”
Michelle learned that she had cervical cancer after a polyp was discovered during her first doctor appointment for her pregnancy in 2009. While pregnant, Michelle underwent cancer treatments until she was far enough along to give birth. On July 2, 2009, a miracle baby girl named Gabrielle was born. Immediately following, a hysterectomy was performed and afterwards Michelle was informed that there was no trace of the cancer to be found. Michelle and I would celebrate by, of course, TigerGating in late September 2009 (group picture below taken that evening). I’ll never forget that night as Michelle was so overwhelmed with emotions as she informed friends that she had battled cancer and won. Unfortunately, three months later the cancer returned and the outcome became our worst nightmare.
I have thought of my friend every day for as long as I can remember and often have wondered what we could do to honor her. A tree? A park bench? A garden? However when her father approached me with the idea of creating a memorial scholarship at Michigan State University in her name, I instantly knew that would be the perfect way to keep her memory alive. After all, Michelle was one of the most driven people I have ever met. After graduating from MSU in 01′ she earned her Masters degree and CPA in less than seven years while working fulltime. As difficult as her schedule was, she never doubted for a second she would be successful. Our hope is that her memorial scholarship will invest in future Spartans and share Michelle’s passion for education and inspirational story that shows anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself.
In order to fund this scholarship, Michelle’s family and friends have created the “Annual Michelle Horback Palgut Tigergate.” The 2012 Tailgate will be July 21st at the Greater Detroit Cab Company in Detroit, Michigan (where we shared so many memories over the years). In 2011, 175 of her family and friends tailgated before the Tigers/White Sox game to collect donations to fund her scholarship and to, more importantly, continue to demonstrate that Michelle is and forever will be an important part of our lives. When it seems the city of Detroit is often portrayed negatively in the media, the reality is that “the D” will be the cornerstone of an event that will bring people together to heal and make a difference.
Sadly, Michelle never had a chance to fulfill her final wish, but her friends and family will do so for her. If you would like to attend and show your support, please visit Remembering Michelle www.rememberingmichelle.org on Facebook. If you cannot attend and would like to make a donation or share with Michelle’s family what she meant to you, please contact us.