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Written in ink

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Edgerton High basketball player Bryan Gregory honors his late brother Matt, who died from a rare disease 10 years ago, with a tattoo over his heart that reads, "Matthew someday we will meet again, but until then all I can do is try and make you proud!"

EDGERTON — When Matt Gregory died Feb. 23, 1999, after a lifelong battle with cerebral palsy, Bryan Gregory lost his best friend.

Ten years later, Bryan hasn’t forgotten the valuable lessons he learned from his older brother. He never will—thanks in part to a fresh reminder of Matt that he carries close to his heart.

“Matt taught me so much about life,” Bryan said. “With all the daily struggles he had to go through, he never complained once. He was always happy, and I wouldn’t trade the time I had with him for anything.”

Matt, the first of Mike and Vicki Gregory’s three children, wasn’t expected to live when he was born. His brain was deprived of oxygen the first hour of his life. Yet, Matt beat the odds for 14 years.

Matt would have turned 24 on July 5. Bryan turned 18 on Aug. 15. The next day, Bryan got a tattoo in Matt’s memory on his chest.

Next to two hands folded in prayer reads an inscription: “Matthew—Someday we will meet again, But until then all I can do is try and make you proud!”

Bryan wrote the passage when he was younger. With his parents’ blessing, he decided to have it made into a tattoo when he turned 18.

“Ever since Matt passed away, we’ve always told Bryan that he has an angel on his shoulder,” Mike said. “And now he has something else to remember him by.

“Matt was the greatest thing to ever happen to me because he taught me so much about life, and I know Bryan feels the same way.”

Bryan will leave Edgerton High as one of the most prolific athletes in school history.

He is the single-season and career passing leader in football, and he likely will end a storied basketball career as one of the top three scorers in school history. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior gave up baseball after his freshman year, but he may go out this year and could help solidify a strong team that lost only three starters from a year ago.

Bryan would trade all the accolades and press clippings to spend just a little more time with his brother.

“He was basically my best friend growing up,” Bryan said. “We did everything together. Whether it was sitting around watching TV, or going to games, we were always together.

“He couldn’t talk back to us, but we knew he understood us, and he could communicate with us in other ways. A lot of it was through hand gestures.”

“Wheel of Fortune” has been a longtime staple in the Gregory household. It was Matt’s favorite TV show. At 6:15 every night, the Gregorys were reminded of the time.

“We didn’t need a clock with Matt around,” Bryan said. “He would start winding his arm about 6:15 every night because he knew ‘Wheel of Fortune’ was coming on. I still think about Matt every day, but even more so when ‘Wheel’ comes on.”

Mark Wanless has been Edgerton’s boys basketball coach for 16 years. He knows the Gregory family well, and he knows the impact that Matt’s legacy continues to have on Mike, Vicki, Bryan and Karie Gregory, a 2004 Edgerton High graduate and a junior at Purdue University.

Wanless doesn’t see his star player get too high or low on the basketball court, and he knows why.

“Bryan has always been a very family-oriented person,” Wanless said. “Matt was a great role model for him, and knowing the difficulties and struggles that he (Matt) endured growing up made Bryan realize what’s really important in life.

“Matt will always be in his heart, and now he wears his memory on his heart with the tattoo.”

Although Bryan isn’t sure about his plans for next year and beyond, basketball remains a high priority. He’s passionate about the sport, has played at high levels, and has offers to play at the college level, including several from schools in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Whatever path Bryan chooses, though, brother Matt will be with him every step of the way.