DETROIT (WXYZ) — Dan Austin has spent years documenting Detroit's historic landmarks and forgotten corners. Now, facing a diagnosis of Stage 4 colorectal cancer, he is working to ensure the city's stories live on for generations to come.
Austin, a former journalist and founder of HistoricDetroit.org, was diagnosed in August 2024 and given a 20% chance to live the next five years. He started a fund to cover the low costs of his archive, which documents the city's bricks and buildings, to keep the website afloat.
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"I had a lot of people reach out to me saying, sorry about the cancer, what’s going to happen to the website," Austin joked.
Beyond preserving the past, Austin is also looking toward the future by providing scholarships to youth who are committed to giving back to Detroit.
"I love the city’s present and future just as much as I love its past. So, what could we do for the future? Giving scholarships to the youth who are committed to giving back to the city seemed like a no-brainer to me," Austin said.
For many years, Austin has made it his mission to preserve Detroit’s history. He fell in love with the city in his early 20s, calling it a resilient home that rises from the ashes time and time again.
"Detroit is the city that refuses to give up," Austin said.
He has dumped thousands of hours into documenting buildings that are still standing, as well as those that are already gone.
"Don’t ever bet against us. Detroit is the phoenix. And so I set out to tell the forgotten stories of our city, the stories behind the bricks, the people who built them, fought for civil rights in. There are so many incredible stories that I thought deserved to be told," Austin said.
For now, Austin hopes to spend his remaining time with loved ones, maintaining the city’s roots and telling as many Motor City stories as he can. He also hopes his story serves as a warning for others to get a colonoscopy, saying it could have saved his life.
"More and more younger adults are being diagnosed with the disease. For me, if I had gotten a colonoscopy at age 40 instead of 43, maybe I would have caught it at Stage 1 or 2 or 3 and still had a chance. Trust me, colonoscopy prep beats the hell out of dealing with Stage 4 cancer. As of right now, I’m just going to keep on ticking. Nothing stops Detroit and I think that goes for Detroiters as well," Austin said.
If you're interested in supporting the archive, visit AustinPastFutureFund.org.
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