64-year-old Delaware Tech student loses his battle with cancer months after getting degree

A 64-year-old Delaware Technical Community College student who attended classes while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment — finally earning his associate's degree in the spring of 2018 — died on Saturday. 

Fred Reich was an inspiration not only to his fellow students but the staff at Delaware Tech's Georgetown campus. 

He could be found many mornings sitting outside instructor Linda Collin's office while enjoying his daily breakfast sandwich and coffee.

Back in school for the first time since 1980, the Seaford man was determined not to let a cancer diagnosis keep him from earning a degree after he had pushed that goal aside to be a father and care for his family. 

MORE ABOUT FRED: 64-year-old Del Tech grad getsdegree while battling cancer

"I felt like I had to do something rather than sit around the house all day," Reich told The News Journal in May. "And you're never too old to learn. I wish I had been able to complete college when I first started, but family comes first." 

Unfortunately, soon after re-enrolling in classes in 2016, Reich was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and started chemotherapy and radiation treatments. 

Reich did not take classes that fall due to his treatment schedule and a surgery to remove cancerous masses. But, he did come back in the spring, more determined than ever to get his degree. 

At first, he went for a radiology degree but found it too difficult to wear the heavy lead aprons needed to perform X-rays. Instead, he began classes to be a medical laboratory technician. They are specialists who perform routine laboratory procedures on blood, tissue and other bodily fluids.

The next fall, when he learned that his cancer had metastasized into his lungs, he signed up for a second round of chemo — and another round of classes. 

He came to Delaware Tech wearing a chemotherapy fanny pack, which contains a small pump that administers the medication.

Tired and run down, he still smiled at everyone he met. He joked with his instructors and classmates, completing his lessons with gusto. 

When his peripheral neuropathy got so bad he could no longer drive, Collins, who is the program coordinator for the lab tech program in Georgetown, began picking him up for classes.

She also lives in Seaford and took him shopping and to doctor's appointments. Collins didn't mind doing it, she said, and had come to regard Reich as a colleague as well as a student.

"Fred is a very interesting gentleman and has gone through a lot and has a tremendous amount of life experience," Collins told The News Journal in May. "He's a great asset to our program because he's a good example for our students." 

Reich began his third round of chemotherapy in January 2018 but continued coming to classes with his fanny pack strapped on. He only missed school when he had procedures or was admitted to the hospital, Collins said. 

Collins and another DelTech instructor, Shirley Murray, helped Reich analyze his lab results and pored over his blood panels with him.

They also helped keep him on track academically and were responsible for him graduating with an associate's degree in general science in May.

Though Reich did not have the credits needed to graduate from the Medical Laboratory Technician program yet, Collins was going through his transcript when she noticed he qualified for the other degree: General Science. 

When The News Journal talked to Reich and Collins this past spring, both were optimistic about the future. 

"The fact that I have so many people helping me just makes me want to fight more," Reich said. "I told my doctor I don't care what we're going to do, I'm going to beat this." 

Collins and Murray wanted to see him become a fully fledged medical laboratory tech. He only had four classes left, which he hoped to complete by spring 2019. 

"He keeps saying he'll be able to beat this cancer, and I think he will," Collins said. "We're going to make sure he makes it through." 

Collins didn't immediately return calls on Tuesday.

The night before he died, Reich posted on Facebook that he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. 

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.