Brunswick's Collin Nemet dies after brain cancer returns for a third time

BRUNSWICK — Collin Nemet, a Brunswick boy who captured the support and attention of the community due to his spirit while dealing with multiple brain cancer diagnoses, died Thursday. He was 11. Collin was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and survived it twice. In June, his mother, Kim Nemet, said that in Collin's situation, it was a matter of "when" and not "if" the tumors would grow back. Earlier this month, Nemet posted on Facebook that Collin's condition had rapidly deteriorated. She said his tumors had multiplied and spread into an area that covered his brain and spine, leading to him temporarily losing his ability to speak. While he ultimately regained his speech, Collin had a stroke Saturday that led to him spending much of his last days sleeping. Kim said earlier this week, dating back to the incident that left him unable to speak, these last weeks with her son have been "a gift." On Sunday, the day after his stroke, the community once more rallied around Collin to show their support for both him and the family. Similar to when Collin first returned from the hospital in 2018, community members had a parade outside the Nemet home and gathered in the front yard with signs, music and prayer as Collin watched from an upstairs window. "We've always been very upfront with Collin's journey and shared every step of the way with everybody," Kim Nemet said. "It kind of works both ways. We share Collin's journey with everybody and then everybody, in turn, has always given their support and love to Collin. It only seemed fitting to include our community family and our parish family in this part of our journey, too." One of the people who gathered Sunday was the Rev. Bob Stec of St. Ambrose Catholic Parish. Throughout Collin's life, Stec had been a constant source of support for the Nemet family and was especially close in the days and weeks leading up to his death. Even for an 11-year-old, Collin's deep faith and strong relationship with God was something that continually amazed Stec and those around him. "Anybody who knew Collin knew that he was filled with God's spirit," Stec said. "If you could imagine a person literally going home to God with a smile on his face, he literally had a smile on his face. Beautifully, the very, very good God who filled his soul with joy and God's peace called him home." In diving deeper into Collin's faith, Stec referenced Matthew 5:8, which reads, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." "Collin, not just in his sickness but in all of his life, had a pure heart," Stec said. "Everyday, he could see God. He saw the goodness of God in Skittles, sunshine and in the people he met and the things that he did. How beautiful, even in his sickness, he could keep seeing God and the smile on his face was when the Lord came and he got to see God. "God carried him, beautiful home. That has always been Collin. He is a beautiful, pure-hearted child of God. When the Lord came to carry him home, the smile on his face was that he recognized his very good friend." Nemet said she was constantly amazed at Collin's faith and that it even inspired her. "I've learned a lot from Collin, as an 11-year-old and as my son, in my faith," she said Tuesday. "I've learned how to totally open up my heart to God and to trust God in everything that we do. We've never asked ourselves 'Why us?'. I think, deep down, we know why we have to go through this. It's all for God's glory and … I think that what Collin is going through is all to bring people closer to God." Another member of the Brunswick community lamenting the death of Collin is Brunswick City Manager Carl DeForest. DeForest got to know Collin and the Nemet family in 2018 while delivering Thanksgiving dinners to local families as part of the Rotary Club. When he met Collin, DeForest said the boy became so excited about getting to meet the city manager. "He thought I was a big shot," DeForest said. "I thought he was the big shot. He's been through a hell of a lot more than I have." Ever since then, DeForest said he had considered Collin a friend and said his heart broke over his death. "It's a parent's worst nightmare to lose a child," DeForest said. "I don't have too many friends under the age of 50 and he was probably the only friend I had under the age of 18. His parents are wonderful people, his grandma is a wonderful lady. I'm going to miss him. I appreciate having had the opportunity to know him." Collin's grandmother, Patricia Kaszar, and Nemet were integral parts in bringing a Velosano Trike and Bike event to Brunswick this past fall. Though the event was held virtually, it still raised $26,000 for the Cleveland Clinic's Pediatric Cancer Center. DeForest said they will be having the event again this year in memory of Collin. Stec said Collin's wake will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday at St. Ambrose Church, 929 Pearl Road, and the funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Stec said the public is welcome but is asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.