'Grateful is the biggest understatement': Parents catch brain tumor early on, create foundation for others
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Updated: 10:29 PM CDT Jul 16, 2021
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Updated: 10:29 PM CDT Jul 16, 2021
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HECK OF A BALLPLAYER. QUEC:AN YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AROUND SAMMI STRONG RFO LONG TO KNOW HE IS ANYTHING BUT QUIET. I DID NOT MEAN ACTUALLY THROW A CURVEBALL. QUANEC: ON THE BASEBALL FIELD. TBU LAST OCTOBER, HE WA NSOT FEELING LIKE HIMSELF. >> WE FITRS FOUND OUT AFTER HE HAD A PROLONGED HEADACHE AT SCHOOL. QUANECIA: THE LGON HEADACHE TURNED OUTO TBE CAUSED BY A BRAIN TUMOR. BASEBALL STADYE ON NINE-YEAR-OLD SAMMY’S MIND. >> MY DAD TDOL ME WHEN I WAS THREE OR FOUR AND BASEBALL IS LIFE TO ME. QUANECIA: WHEN HIS PARENTS TOLD HIM WHAT W GASOING ON,E H HAD TWO QUESTIONS -- AM I GOING TO LIVE AND AM I GOING? QUANECIA HIS PARENTS SAID THEY CAUGHT THE TUMOR EARLY ON. BETWEEN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 2020, MMSA HAD TWO SURGERIES WITHIN WEEKS OF EACH OTHER AND THREE DAYS LATER HE WAS BACK TO PLAYING CATCH AGAIN. >> I DID NOT WANT TO LIE TO HIM AND SAY THAT HE WOULD PLAY BASEBALL AINGA BUT I WAS HOPING BY APRIL HE WOULD BE PLAYING BASEBALL AND EVEN THEN I WASN’T SURE IT WOULD HAPPEN. QUANECIA: HIS IMPACHAT S INSPIRED HIS PARENTS SO MUCH SO THAT THEY STARTED A FOUNDATION, SAM A- - SAMMI STRONG AIMED AT PROVIDING RESOURCES TO FAMILIES AND ANYONE ELSINE THE LIFE OF A CHILD WHO WAS FACING -- WHO IS FACING WHAT SAMMI DID. >> WE WERE THERE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR DAYS. QUANEC:IA MEANWHILE, SAMMI HAS NOT MISSED A SINGLE GAME OR PRACTICE SCEIN HIS SURGERY. HE IS GRATEFUL FOR HIS TEAMMATES. >> IT WAS LIKE THEY DID NOT EVEN NOTICE THAT I HAD CANCER. QUANEC:IA AND HIS FAMILY IS BEYOND GRATEFUL FOR HIM. >> GRATELFU IS A BIGGEST UNDERSTATEMENT IN THE WORLD. QU