Twenty-year-old Sam is an accomplished musician, pilot, and philanthropist.

When he was 12 or 13, Sam joined the civil air patrol because he dreamed of being a pilot. It also opened opportunities for him to give back, including getting involved with St. Baldrick’s. In 2018 and 2019 when he shaved his head, raising over $10,000 for kids with cancer, he never imagined he would become one of them.

In January 2021 a high fever and muscle pain landed Sam in the emergency room. He was shocked to be diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia.

During the intensive treatment phase, a bleed compressed his spinal cord, causing paralysis from the waist down. After a long night in the ICU, being pumped full of blood products and chemo, doctors performed a major spinal surgery to relieve the pressure and give him a chance to walk. He was in the hospital for three months after surgery followed by intensive physical rehabilitation. He worked hard to regain his ability to walk, finish his junior year of high school, and get back to doing the things he loved.

Today he’s in remission and a sophomore at San Diego State University (SDSU) where he plays upright bass in the SDSU Symphony Orchestra, joined a fraternity, and plans to major in history with a possible minor in music education.

Sam said, “My friends family brought light to me in my darkest time. I’m glad that now I can support other children and their families through difficult times, which I intend to continue doing, in as many ways I can.”