Highland basketball coach fighting COVID-19 is now in desperate need of a new kidney
Highland High School boys basketball coach Deryl Cunningham is in a local hospital with kidney failure after being diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month, Highland athletic director Amy Boscolo said on Tuesday.
Boscolo said Cunningham tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 5. The virus, which causes the respiratory disease, COVID-19, exacerbated other health conditions, leading to Cunningham’s kidneys to fail.
Boscolo said Cunningham’s condition has improved since Monday, when surgery to install a permanent dialysis port was performed.
Cunningham has since been placed on the emergency kidney transplant list.
Cunningham, who took over the Highland program from Brian Perkes after the 2018-19 season, is 1989 graduate of Westchester St. Joseph High School where he was a McDonald’s All-American under legendary coach Gene Pingatore.
Before taking over at Highland, Cunningham coached four years at Gateway Legacy Christian Academy in Granite City where he led the program to a NCSAA national championship.
The hiring of Cunningham also spent four years as an assistant at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where helped in the Cougars transition from NCAA Division II to a DI program..
Cunningham attended Kansas State University where he would eventually become one of the top players in school history. Cunningham is currently No. 7 on the Wildcats all-time list in rebounds.
Cunningham and his wife Maria are the parents of two children, Ciara and Braylen.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to assist the family with medical bills. To contribute, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/deryl-cunningham?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 9:39 AM.
