Derek DiGregorio,  indomitable and inspirational son, brother and Princeton community fixture, dies at 27

On Thursday, June 5, Derek DiGregorio died at home in Princeton. He was 27.

Derek spent his brief but incandescent life in Princeton, where he served as a center of gravity for the entire community. From the very beginning, Derek was different. Just after he was born, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which he would tell friends was “a bruise on his brain that makes him a little wobbly.”

Born on campus in the shadow of Princeton Stadium where his father, Steve, was a football coach, he was a mainstay on the sidelines of football and basketball games along with his mother, Nadia, and his brothers Zack and Aaron and almost always sitting alongside the Levy family, Howard, Riva, Lior, Mia, and Noa. Playing with friends at Riverside School and on the playground on Western Way formed even more friendships that would last a lifetime.

When he was just four years old, Nadia signed him up for Tae Kwon Do with Susan Winter, where he was the youngest and smallest kid in the class, with Ms. Winter often having to pick him up when he fell because his sparring gear was too big for his short arms. Over the next 25 years, Derek’s commitment to Tae Kwon Do deepened as he won seven world championships—even after he was confined to his wheelchair—and worked with Ms. Winter to teach countless more students not just martial arts but perseverance, discipline, dedication, and integrity.

After more than a decade of diagnostics and different neurologists, Derek was diagnosed with Ataxia-Telangiectasia, a rare degenerative genetic disorder that would eventually rob him of control of his arms and legs and confine him to a wheelchair. But the disease could never touch his indomitable will, his love and support for his friends and family, or his courage to keep pushing. His spirit inspired a movement around a disease that most people couldn’t pronounce, let alone recognize.

Suddenly, a kid from Princeton had inspired incredible campaigns to find a cure for A-T—from Rob Bonora and Anthony Greco to walking from San Diego, California to Nutley, New Jersey to a Make-A-Wish trip to London for a day on the set of Avengers: Infinity War to herculean fundraising events that raised nearly one million dollars. His walk across the graduation stage at Princeton High School with the assistance of a robotic exoskeleton was featured on Good Morning America and caught the attention of millions across the country. He even received an honorary degree from Princeton University in 2012 for his support of the athletic department and inspiration to its athletes and coaches.

As Derek’s body deteriorated, he continued to adapt to do the things he loved most: attend Comic Con with dear friends like Will Christiansen, ride horses at Unicorn Therapeutic Riding in Pennington, take pictures at Princeton High School sporting events, and teach Tae Kwon Do, even from his wheelchair. His friends and family will remember him for his grit and determination, but also for his Wheel of Fortune prowess, inexplicable love for mushroom pizza at Conte’s, and quickness to crack you up with a joke—no one more than himself.

Derek was welcomed into Heaven by his father, Steve, and grandparents Eileen, Andreas, Silvio, and Rose Marie. His life will continue to be honored by his mother Nadia, brothers Zack and Aaron, aunts and uncles Mark, Patty, Andrea, Bruce, Monica, and Lynda, and a flock of loving cousins Alex, Allison, Luke, Jack, Michael, Amalia, Leif, Lindsay, Patrick, and Jessie.

A memorial service for Derek will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 218 Nassau Street, Princeton, at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 9, followed by a celebration of life at the Alchemist and Barrister at 28 Witherspoon Street. There will be a livestream of the funeral mass beginning at 9:45 a.m. To access the live stream, go to the home page for St Paul’s Church of Princeton. Scroll down the page to the weekly mass schedule. On the left-hand side, you will see a link that says, “Live Stream Mass”. Clicking on this link will bring up the St Paul media player. Click on the arrow after 9:45 a.m.