Even from a young age, Curt Sutherland showed signs of being driven.
Sutherland, a construction technology and management major, went from crawling to running, which often led him to find crafty ways to evade babyproofing measures. As he grew up, this drivenness became more focused and mature, making Sutherland the person his family remembers him as.
On April 13, 2019, Sutherland’s life took a turn. The freshly 18-year-old Sutherland was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer called Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma. By the time the cancer had been found, it was a softball-sized tumor in his liver.
This rare diagnosis left Sutherland and his parents in shock. For Curt Sutherland Sr., it embodied every parent’s worst nightmare.
“[We were] very fearful, very lost and very helpless that we couldn’t help him,” Sutherland Sr. said. “This wasn’t breast cancer or prostate cancer or something where there’s a lot of information about so I was personally very scared for him and felt very helpless.”
With how infrequently the cancer was seen, Sutherland had to leave the University of Michigan hospital and look for other avenues of treatment. It was due to a family friend that Sutherland ended up at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
After a surgery by Dr. Martin Hertl, Sutherland’s cancer was removed. After this, Sutherland was on the mend. Around three-and-a-half years later, he had more cancer crop up. Another surgery from Hertl cleared him again.
It was a back-and-forth game for Sutherland. Surgery after surgery. Drug after drug. Sutherland’s cancer returned recently. He had been doing radiation in the first weeks of March. Suddenly, the cancer, which was supposed to be slow-growing, spread aggressively.
Sutherland died on April 3, 2025, almost six years into his battle with the disease. According to Sutherland’s mother, Jodi Sorrels, he knew what he was up against. For her, she still can’t comprehend how fast things progressed.
“I think that [the diagnosis] made him mature immediately, and he would say things like, ‘I’ve known my fate since I was 18,’” Sorrels said. “He might have thought that, but I never, in my wildest dreams, thought we would lose him to this. This was supposed to be a slow-growing cancer. So I’m scratching my head even today with what just happened.”
Within his over half-decade battle with cancer was a regimented, driven young man. Even after his diagnosis, Curt remained set on attending college. He refused to use his cancer as an excuse not to do something.
The White Lake, Mich., native loved bettering himself in more ways than one. He ran track in high school, where he used his aforementioned speed. After surgeries, he’d hit the gym. Following an abdominal surgery, he joined his high school’s swim team despite never doing it before.
Sutherland’s work to improve himself extended to his time at Ferris. Sutherland joined the university’s Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity chapter. Like most things he did, this was purposeful.
“His whole goal of joining that fraternity was to meet friends, to network and become the president, because it looked good on a resume,” Sorrels said. “There was always a very specific reason why he was doing something. It was all intentional, and I was thrilled to pieces when he was given that opportunity.”
Sutherland’s goals paid off, as he took over and served as president of Lambda Chi Alpha in the spring and fall of 2024. With his graduation upcoming in May, Sutherland had a job lined up with Christman Company in Lansing.
He never wanted to be pitied for his cancer. Sutherland didn’t want to be given special treatment due to his condition.
“He did not want to be known as the cancer kid,” Sutherland Sr. said. “[Christman] had no idea what was going on.”
He didn’t want to deceive his employer, he just wanted to be “hired on merit,” according to Sorrels.
While at Ferris, Sutherland met his wife, something his mother always worried about not happening due to his high standards. However, to Sorrels, it ended up being a “match made in heaven.”
Jackie Demeuse, now a student at Central Michigan, explained that the two met at the David L. Eisler Center, and after that, things developed into a relationship.
“It fit like two puzzle pieces,” Demeuse said. “Everything just fell into place.”
Demeuse added that the two shared a love for nature, going on many outdoor trips together. Sutherland and Demeuse had an annual tradition of participating in the Mackinaw Bridge Labor Day walk. Fitting Sutherland’s driven nature, they had a small competition of who could finish first.
It was on Sutherland’s first date with Demeuse that he opened up about his fight with cancer. Demeuse says that Sutherland was “proud of his battle scars.”
While Sutherland was hospitalized recently, he listed off the things he and Demeuse wouldn’t be able to do. Demeuse stopped him and asked Sutherland to marry her. Originally, Sutherland, to no surprise, wanted to plan things out. However, there was no time with how fast his cancer progressed. Sutherland and Demeuse got married on April 3, just hours before he died.
The wedding took place at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, where Sutherland had been treated since he was 18. As Sutherland’s condition declined, a nurse asked Demeuse if she still wanted to get married. The answer was obvious to her.
“Without any hesitation, I said, ‘You know what, let’s get married.’ This is the one thing we can still do together,” Demeuse said. “The nurse made it happen. She was like ‘Alright, I’ll be back in an hour. I’ll get everything.’ She went down and got flowers, rings, the music therapy teacher to come down and the chaplain that works for the hospital. We decided to have the wedding right then and there.”
In addition to being married, Sutherland was able to graduate earlier as well.
His family will remember him as someone filled with perseverance, even when faced with a situation like he had.
“He was a runner. He had this distance running mentality where he would kind of get into that zone,” Sutherland Sr. said. “No excuses, just go. That’s what I think of him.”
Another big thing for Sutherland, according to his father, was being able to share the knowledge he had curated with others.
Above all, Sutherland’s work ethic shines bright for his family. His parents believe he never cared for procrastinators or for people who make excuses.
Demeuse, who also highlighted his work ethic, remembers Sutherland greatly.
“He was always there for everyone and just an amazing individual,” Demeuse said. “He was so supportive and kind.”
Although Sutherland’s battle is at an end, his memory still lives on with his wife, friends and family.