DREW DAVIES OVERCOMES A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO LEAD ON THE FIELD

Before the end of the 1st quarter of the Ardrey Kell High School football season opener, starting defensive back Drew Davies had already racked up two forced fumbles with overpowering hits on the opposing team.  Both shots left their mark on the ball carriers from North Mecklenburg and left quite an impression on the Ardrey Kell fans.  Many of which were asking, “Who is this new player and where did he come from.”

He is seventeen year old Drew Davies, an 11th grader at Ardrey Kell and he has quite a story to tell about the last few years/  Life has been far from easy for the son of C.D. and Jamie Davies.  Let’s start by going back to middle school to share the interesting story of Drew Davies and the enormous obstacle he has overcome.

“During my football physical before my eighth grade year at Jay M.Robinson Middle School, it was discovered that I had a swollen lymph node in my neck. After surgery to remove the lymph node, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma”

Not quite what Drew and his family were looking for when they went in for the annual physical.

“Hodgkin’s is cancer of the lymph nodes and I had it in my neck, chest, and spleen. The first setback was that I was not going to be able to play football since I would need to have a port surgically placed in my upper chest. The port was used to deliver the chemotherapy into my body. I was very disappointed that I was going to miss the season since I expected to be the quarterback and the safety. I started my treatment pretty much right away.”

Drew’s treatment included 3 surgeries, 4 rounds of chemotherapy and 8 radiation treatments.

With football off the board, Drew’s parents encouraged him to try out for the Jay M. Robinson Middle School team.  He was fortunate to earn a position on the team and remain active in sports while going through treatment.

Once treatments were underway in September, Drew set a goal to have all of them complete by Christmas so he would be able to return to the baseball field.

“We kind of made it like a game and we wanted to win before Christmas.  I was fortunate enough to handle the chemotherapy and radiation without suffering to much with side-effects besides losing my hair.  I finished my last treatment on December 21. During the chemo rounds, we would check into the hospital on Friday mornings and spend the weekend in the hospital. On January 20, 2006 the cancer was in remission.”

Drew credits his two outstanding doctors Dr. Sanders and Dr. Golembe and a strong support team of family, friends and the medical staff at CMC Hospital for his success in the battle.  Drew’s mother, Jamie continues to return to Levine Children’s Hospital today as a volunteer two times a week.  Drew return’s every three months for scans to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned.

After his eighth grade season, C.D. and Jamie decided it would be best if Drew transferred to a smaller school to catch up on some of the academic time he missed.  Drew was comfortable with the decision as he has played for Charlotte Christian Baseball Coach Greg Simmons in little league and summer ball in the past.

At Christian, Drew started at 3rd base and batted leadoff for the junior varsity team as a freshman.  In football, Drew earned the starting safety position and also served as a backup quarterback for the team.

A smaller obstacle came into play for Drew during his sophomore season as he broke his collarbone during practice after game one and missed the season when surgery was ordered to place a pin into the bone.

Next up for Drew was the goal of earning a position on the varsity baseball team last spring.  Drew achieved the goal and started as third, shortstop and second base when the normal starters were pitching.

“My highlight was starting at 3rd base during the state championship game against Wesleyan Christian. With the baseball tradition that they have at Charlotte Christian the only way to have a successful season is to win the state championship. We did it. I felt very lucky to get to play with such a talented and well coached team.”

 “After my sophomore year, I was ready to return to my neighborhood school, Ardrey Kell. My parents knew it was a great school since my sister, Danielle, was in the first graduating class in 2008. She is now at Clemson University. I really enjoyed my time at Christian but I was ready to return to a bigger school.”            
  Over the summer Drew played a successful summer of baseball with the On Deck O’s 2011 Black Team.  Now that Ardrey Kell football is underway, you can still find Drew practicing at On Deck in preparation for the spring season.

The move to Ardrey Kell brings a set of new challenges.

“I have to prove myself to a different group of coaches and teammates. I love competition and I look forward to competing for positions. After missing 2 football seasons since eighth grade I just want to participate in as many football plays as possible. I am competing for the quarterback and safety positions and have been used as the long snapper.”

 From the looks of his play in the season opening win, Drew will help Ardrey Kell football in many ways this fall.

Once baseball season arrives, Drew will compete for a position on Coach Hal Bagwell’s defending 4A state championship team. 

“It would be really cool to be on a private school state champion and a public school state champion. That's my goal. First, I hope to make the team. It won't be easy. They obviously had a great team last year and I believe most of the team returns. If I am lucky enough to make the team I would just like to contribute in any way possible.” 

Through the entire experience, Drew has been able to maintain a positive grade point average of 3.4.  He enjoys math classes and is taking AP Statistics this year at Ardrey Kell. 

 Drew also wanted to take a few minutes to public thank his parents for everything they have done during this battle.

“After all the things I have been through there are a couple of people, my Mom and Dad, that have always been there for me and I would just like to thank them. My Mom endured everything with me. She never left my side no matter what the circumstance. There were times when  I would just ask her why is this happening to me?  She would always respond that it is just a challenge that you are faced with and you are just going to have to show you can get through it.”

“We all got through it together.”

The South Charlotte Sports Report salutes Drew Davies for his incredible courage and fight to overcome one of the toughest obstacles in society today.  We wish him the best of luck in the future and hope he achieves all of his goals in life.