Overcomer: VHHS junior beats leukemia twice

Like so many young men in Vestavia Hills, Sam Cunningham had aspirations to play for the Vestavia Hills High School boys basketball team.

But a leukemia diagnosis in sixth grade wrecked those plans.

“I was very scared,” Cunningham said of his first diagnosis.

Heavy rounds of chemotherapy were needed over the course of 3½ years to get Cunningham into remission. But about a year later, in November 2021, the leukemia came back.

His mom, Lisa Cunningham, said Sam cried when he was told he couldn’t play sports.

His inability to play on the court didn’t stop his drive to be involved with the team though. Beginning in the 2021-22 season, Sam, a 17-year-old junior, served as a team manager. He also has spent the past three seasons as a team manager for the baseball team.

Despite not taking a shot for the Rebels, Sam is just as much a part of the team, head basketball coach Patrick Davis said. Sam’s battle against leukemia has given his teammates some perspective, Davis said.

“I think it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day, ‘I’ve got a game today, ‘I’ve got practice today,’” Davis said. “It makes you appreciate the opportunities you have.”

Davis stressed to the team not only the physical challenges Sam faced but also the emotional challenges of being isolated from friends and family. Even when he was out of the hospital, he wasn’t able to see many people.

Vestavia’s baseball coach, Jamie Harris, called Sam an inspiration.

“He’s always positive,” Harris said. “No matter how bad he feels, he’s an encourager.”

Sam brings a healthy dose of perspective to the baseball team as well, Harris said.

“To a man, everyone loves him,” Harris said. “He’s a dose of perspective to me. We try not to base our self-worth on the field.”

Sam is a “reminder that this is about more than sports,” Harris said. “That’s important for me to see on a daily basis.”

When the leukemia returned last year, his mother was devastated, while his father, Patrick Cunningham, called it a “gut punch.” But when they broke the news to Sam, he did what he always does and found the positives, his mother said.

“He said, ‘Mama, don’t cry. I’ve got this. I’ve beat it before, and I’ll beat it again,” Lisa said.

The basketball team also rallied around Sam when he relapsed. Any time he was able to make it to practice or a game, he did.

“Our world stopped if he came around,” Davis said.

The team wore yellow warmup shirts with the hashtag #SamStrong in early December. The color, as well as the message, stood out and even inspired the Oak Mountain team to also wear the shirt.

“It gave us an opportunity to tell Sam’s story,” Davis said.

Sam’s parents said it has been great for him to be part of the team, which treats him like any other kid.

“I think it’s been huge for him,” Lisa said. “To have that fellowship with the boys … it’s amazing.”

When he was in the hospital, Sam was able to watch the games online. Lisa said the team warming up in their #SamStrong shirts inspired him.

After months of undergoing T-cell therapy, which trains T-cells to fight B-cells, which are the carrier cells of leukemia, Sam was declared leukemia free on March 16. Doctors don’t believe it will come back, but he has his bone marrow examined every three months and will be monitored for the rest of his life.

“I was so relieved and happy it was gone,” Sam said.

It was good to get back to normal and see the team, he said. “It’s so much better than sitting in the hospital.”

Patrick said while it’s still scary, he’s really excited for his son to be able to get back to normal. Lisa said going through leukemia is never a road anyone wants to walk, but there is “always a blessing in the storm” and they know God will use Sam’s story for good.

The family was ecstatic when they were told the leukemia was gone. “I need you to say it again,” Lisa told the doctor.

Sam was able to keep up with his school work online and now comes for a homebound class. He made the National Honor Society this year, and his mom said the hope is that in the 2022-23 school year, he can be in school full time.

“He’s never used cancer as a crutch,” Lisa said. “He really works hard.”

Sam hopes to continue being a team manager in college, hopefully at Auburn University, where men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl has promised him a spot as the Tigers team manager. Pearl has developed a “unique relationship” with Sam, and the two have become good friends, Patrick said.

Sam hopes to pursue a career that combines his love of sports and nursing, possibly sports medicine.

As he reflected on his journey, Sam said he wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of others, including the teams of which he has come to be such a large part.

“I don’t think I would’ve gotten through it without friends and family,” Sam said. “It’s like they were fighting with me.”