When Nicolet High School student Grant Freeze swam long distance races, the song he would sing in his head was Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing.”
He connected with the song’s message of positivity and grit in the face of obstacles, two traits he carried with him until his last day, his mother Kellie Freeze said.
Freeze, 16, died of his injuries after crashing into a dump truck Oct. 1 on his way to swim practice along Pioneer Road about a mile west of Interstate 43 on the border of Mequon and Cedarburg. He was extricated from his car and flown to Froedtert Hospital by Flight for Life. A 57-year-old man was also severely injured in the crash.
“As of October 1st, the Grant we know and love left us,” Kellie said. “We have now transitioned to honoring his choice to save the lives of others through the gift of organ donation,” Kellie said.
He leaves behind his parents, Kellie and Scott, older brother Connor, his dog Buster, hundreds of thousands of LEGO pieces, and his trademark pair of glasses.
Kellie said Grant was an old soul, who loved Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin, with the heart of a lion.
“You could not outwork Grant, especially in the pool,” his mother said. “You might have been gifted with natural talent that he didn’t have, but he had this grit and tenacity that was an unstoppable force.” Even during practices, he was giving 100% all of the time, Scott said.
That mentality extended beyond the pool, Scott and Kellie said. Academics didn’t always come naturally to him, but he studied profusely and succeeded through pure grit and hard work. His mother was his Spanish study buddy, and his father helped him with math.
That’s because Grant never had an ego and freely asked for help when he needed it, Kellie said.
He was competitive, especially with his brother, though they were each other’s closest friend and confidant. Grant was always humble, she said, despite being a state-ranked chess player and a nationally-ranked swimmer.
He was never the type to boast or celebrate his wins loudly. Instead, his signature celebration was always a fist pump in the air, much like Superman, or Clark Kent.
A week after the crash, Grant was scheduled to leave for an elite Olympic training camp at U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He hoped to swim in college and potentially qualify for the 2028 Olympic swim trials, which would have landed shortly after his high school graduation.
Career-wise, Grant wasn’t quite sure what the future would hold, but he was always curious about and inspired by those who helped others, including his doctors, optometrist and a speech therapist he saw briefly, Kellie said.
Grant’s drive toward kindness is a huge source of pride for his parents, who raised him and his brother on the motto, “change the world, make the world a better place.”
It’s an essential phrase in their lives, always tagged alongside “good night” or “see you later.” Scott had said it to Grant on his last morning as he left for school. Grant saluted him, as he usually did.
The community has rallied to preserve Grant’s memory and support his family with a GoFundMe set up by Ozaukee Aquatics that has already received over $30,000.
“No one loves swimming like Grant,” the program wrote on the GoFundMe page. “From his first day at practice, where we couldn’t get him to stop, to rising the ranks as one of the strongest 15-16 swimmers in the country, Grant exemplified what it means to be passionate. Eager for hard work, committed to making every stroke as strong as the last, you could not deter him.”
On Oct. 2, Nicolet High School Administrators sent a letter to parents that read, “Grant is a decorated swimmer, an involved student, and a friend to many at Nicolet – having a lasting impact on his teammates, classmates, and our school. He will be deeply missed by the Nicolet community.”
Grant’s decision to be an organ donor will change the lives of others
Keeping Grant’s legacy of kindness and selflessness alive is a priority for his family, and they’ve floated the idea of starting a scholarship in honor of his love of school and his teachers.
But there will always be a part of Grant “still standing,” as Elton John put it. He will live on in the love his family, friends and community hold for him. And he will live on in the new life that his organs will provide to another person.
When Grant’s family was told that his injuries were not survivable, they asked a hospital worker whether his organs were able to be donated. The worker reached into an envelope and pulled out documents showing Grant had already decided to do so when he got his driver’s license less than two months ago.
It is up to young people to make that decision, the hospital worker told Scott and Kellie, because it’s one that necessitates confronting the worst case scenario and still seeking to help others.
Not only does Grant’s decision benefit the life of another person waiting for organ tissue donation but the selfless act gives his family an incredible sense of hope and peace, Kellie said.
“We got a call that no parent wants to get, but I know right now that in the depths of our despair, there will also be families getting the calls they’ve been praying for,” she said. She hopes to meet them some day.
She also hopes people honor the remarkable person her son is and always will be by checking the ‘yes’ box to agree to being an organ donor the next time they’re renewing their driver’s license.
“I know that out of this tragedy, Grant’s legacy is going to make the world a better place,” she said.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nicolet High School swimmer Grant Freeze killed in car crash celebrated for organ donation
Reporting by Claudia Levens, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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