School, community honors Canonsburg teen who battled cancer

PITTSBURGH — The Cannon-McMillan High School and the community honored a Canonsburg teen who died of cancer this past August.

Luke Blanock made a large impact on the school and community, which became “Luke Strong” during his battle with a rare bone cancer.

Blanock was a standout player on the school’s basketball team and continued to play while fighting cancer.

Between the first games of the season Friday night, the Canon-McMillan High School shared a 10-minute video documenting Luke’s struggles and triumphs.

Janice Blanock, Luke’s mother, said the video was, “really heart-wrenching and difficult, but it was beautiful.”

Blanock’s family returned to the school for the first time since he played basketball.

The Canon-McMillan High School retired Blanock’s basketball jersey and his family said the video meant a lot because it showed what so many people never got to see.

“It showed a lot how it wasn't just him going out onto the court -- it was all the work he had to go through, all the treatments he had to do behind the scenes in order to get onto the court,” Kurt Blanock, Luke’s father, said.

Before Blanock’s death, he married his high school sweetheart, Natalie, who showed Channel 11 the tattoo on her arm that said, “What we have once loved, we never lose," in her husband’s handwriting.

The basketball boosters also donated $1,000 to the Luke Blanock Scholarship Fund, and the team retired Luke's number.

Cox Media Group