In February 2010, 16 year old Kevin Massey was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Originally, he was given nine months to live. However, things took a drastic turn when he had a hemorrhage; he now had 24 hours. Eddie Schilling, the former assistant of John Calipari, the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, let John know about the situation. John then quickly came to visit this Wildcats fan.
Even though Kevin had been given 24 hours to live, he actually came through intense doses of radiation and left the hospital 40 days later. The treatments did take a toll on him and changed his life, but he was alive. He had to work to regain the motor skills on the left side of his body, and then his speech. Coach Calipari stayed in touch with him the whole time he was recuperating.
That September, Coach Calipari told Kevin that if he got into the University of Kentucky, there would be a student manager job waiting for him. He wanted to give the boy something to live for so that he would fight. In August of 2012, Kevin enrolled at that university. Calipari was ecstatic to find out that he had gotten in, and he thought it was a testament to the boy’s strength and drive.
Now, he is at the university and in the gym with the coach and the team all the time. They see him as just “one of the guys.” What an amazing story with a happy ending!