Niko Harlan
Niko Harlan, 33, who lived in Durham the past 16 years passed away at home in the early morning of February 5 after an 11 year struggle against brain cancer. His loved ones were at his side when he passed away.
Born of a Greek mother and American father in New Orleans, LA, Niko grew up in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In school, Niko was known as the brightest and smartest kid in the class, a spelling bee champion and a charmer of every teacher who met him. He was a tough act to follow for his younger siblings! Niko attended Phillips Academy in Andover, MA for high school. He moved to Durham in 1997 to attend Duke University, graduating in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in computer science, and worked for several years in the information technology sector in the Triangle. A fluent Greek speaker, he spent many summers at his family home in Greece, where he also hosted a number of close friends.
Niko was an avid soccer player and his regular pick-up soccer group organised the Niko Cup Against Cancer for him in 2010 to raise funds for medical treatments. He also loved rugby, playing on Duke's undergraduate and graduate teams, before moving to coaching the Duke Women's Rugby team for four years. He was a loyal Duke Basketball fan and for a brief period worked the scorer's table for the men's and women's games.
Another big part of Niko's life in Durham was the local music scene, and he was a big supporter of local bands and musicians in the Triangle. Through local music shows he became part of a close knit community of musicians and music lovers alike. This community rallied behind Niko during his illness, raising awareness and funds for him. In 2011 his friend and local musician Jay Kutchma lead a music fundraiser for him in Durham.
Niko was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2001 and for the next 11 years, waged a tremendous struggle against his cancer. He displayed great strength and resoluteness when it came to taking treatments, participating in experimental therapies thousands of miles from home, and having brain surgery three times. He made every treatment decision with the hope of a better quality of life and beating the disease. He knew dying was a possibility but he was determined to live, to be on the "tail end of the curve". And in the end he was: he beat the odds many times over and outlasted the expectations of many doctors.
Niko lived his life with humor, compassion and wit in the face of much suffering; the transformation he underwent in coming to terms with his disease and the changes he made to how he wanted to live his life were remarkable. During the 11 years he lived with a brain tumor, he made it his mission to live his life to the fullest and in the process touched many people's lives. He will be remembered for his insatiable curiosity and thirst for life, knowledge, and understanding of the world.
Niko is survived by his loving family here in Durham, and in the hearts of so many people whose lives he touched.
A memorial in celebration of Niko's rich life will be held at Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, February 23rd between 12pm and 3:30pm, with a commemorative program starting at 12:30pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Niko can be made to UNC Hospice, www.unchealthcare.org/site/hospice/donations and A Helping Hand ahelpinghandnc.org/charitablegiving/ organizations which made an enormous impact on Niko's quality of life; donations will be used to provide services to those without insurance or with low income.
Condolences may be sent via comments on Niko's blog at http://anticancer.tumblr.com anticancer.tumblr.com