LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — As an athlete, 12-year-old Uale Su'a knows how to tackle anything that comes his way.
“I like to play sports. I play football, I wrestle, I play rugby, I like to workout at this gym and yeah, I’m in 7th grade,” Uale said.
However, one day Uale’s family noticed a limp in his left leg that turned into something they least expected.
“So I had a cancer called Ewing Sarcoma, and I was diagnosed in August of last year," Uale said. "I did chemotherapy for nine months, and I did radiation for two or three months. I was scared for my life because sometimes I thought I was going to die."
This news not only came as a shock to 12-year-old Uale but to his mother who was scared about her son's future.
“When we found out that Uale has cancer, it was just a surprise that shocked my family because we have never had a history of that in any of mine or my husband's family,” said Numia Vala Su'a, Uale’s mom.
As a woman of faith, Numia remained prayerful and hopeful even when the journey with her son got tough.
“They still wanted Uale to have an amputation on his left leg below the knee, so they already scheduled that for the 23rd of November which was two days away from Thanksgiving, and I still remember that day," Numia said. "And that day was maybe the hardest day, but I was like there was no way Uale was going to lose his leg."
Numia says she found strength in her son who did not let cancer stop him from doing what he loved most. While in and out of the hospital, Uale was also in and out of Kri Chay's Urban Hiit Fiit Fitness Training Center still working on regaining his physical and mental strength.
Chay tells KSHB 41 News he has been working with Uale for many years, and he too was shocked by the news of Uale’s diagnosis. He raised money through donations and t-shirt collections to help with bills and medical expenses.
But the support didn’t stop there. Chay created new workout plans for his star athlete to get through one of his toughest battles.
“I’m like, 'Uale, you got this. Just like running, just like lifting weights, just like running, just like jumping, you got this.' And he’d be like, 'I don't know, I don't know.' You got this just like anything else,” Chay said.
Through his journey Uale was grateful for Chay and the community’s support, so once he was contacted by the Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas, he knew exactly what wish he wanted to come true.
“So it was a unique wish to give back, and he had a wish to clean, renovate and purchase new equipment for the gym that has been so instrumental in his own battle with cancer,” said Brian Miller, director of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas.
Uale, now going on 13, says not only was his wish granted but his prayers answered. He’s happy he was able to give Chay and his gym a fresh start as he had given to him.
“Giving back just made me happier, I felt like I was going to be happier in giving back than helping myself and buying something for myself — I felt better doing that," Uale said.
