Highland coach feeling healthy and productive after COVID-19, kidney scare in fall
Highland boys basketball coach Deryl Cunningham has always had a positive outlook on life.
In mid-October, Cunningham’s view of the world and life underwent the ultimate test when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and spent time in Anderson Hospital in Maryville due to coronavirus and kidney failure.
Cunningham literally was fighting for his life.
“I am blessed to be alive and I know that better than anyone, and, as my mom says, you’re my miracle baby,” Cunningham said. “My situation was, I was not in good shape whatsoever and it wasn’t looking good. That was as positive as I could be (then).”
After going through a couple of needed rounds of dialysis to stabilize his kidney functions, Cunningham was able to leave the COVID-19 ward at the hospital and recover and finally depart the hospital altogether Oct. 17.
“I think a big key that turned everything around for me was getting the dialysis, which was cleaning my blood and getting all of the fluid out. I had so much toxicity in my body and my kidneys weren’t pushing everything out correctly,” Cunningham said.
Three months later, Cunningham is in a much better place with his quality of life. He is busy working every day and back to practicing his passion — coaching Highland Bulldogs basketball.
“I’m very blessed and I look at it this way ... it gives me the energy to go out at 4 in the morning and work and I’m feeling great,” Cunningham said. “Most days I get up and I’m feeling really good. Occasionally I get tired but my tired is not where I cannot go on throughout the day.”
Cunningham is currently on the emergency transplant list at Anderson Hospital to receive a kidney. He has been driving himself to dialysis treatments three days a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Starting with dialysis for 3-3 1/2 hours, then going to work and then practicing with the Bulldogs makes for a long 16-hour slate on dialysis days. However, Cunningham now looks at those days — which start at 4 a.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. — as blessings and not curses after what he’s endured.
“I think you can look at it and say ‘wow, that’s a long day,’ but I look at it this way, God gives me the energy throughout my whole day and some people don’t have the energy to do it. And I’m blessed to have the energy to do it,” said Cunningham, whose dialysis treatments are from 5-8:30 a.m.
Cunningham credits his older sister, Charise Walker, with helping him stay grounded and positive during his health scare. Walker handles all of Cunningham’s paperwork and logistics with helping secure a kidney transplant.
“She has been my rock,” Cunningham said. “It gets overwhelming (at times) and she oversees everything and I’m very lucky I’ve got a big sister that helps me through everything.”
Highland coach recovering well
While a transplant remains in the distance due to the complicated nature of the process, Cunningham is doing quite well with his overall health thanks to the steady dialysis, a healthy diet and rest.
Highland Athletic director Amy Boscolo set up a GoFundMe page in October to help Cunningham and his family with their medical expenses, and Cunningham was humbled and overwhelmed by the generosity of the Highland community.
“I wasn’t expecting anything, but the Highland community ... look at how blessed I am,” Cunningham said. “There’s people that go through these situations and they don’t have a GoFundMe (page) and I’m very blessed that I had one from the community. A lot of people reacted really fast and I’m truly grateful for that.”
‘A reason’ Cunningham landed in Highland
Given everything he’s dealt with, Cunningham believes a reason exists why he landed in Highland.
“I’ve always felt like this — and I’m not scared to say it on record — I still believe there’s a reason why I was drawn to Highland and that there’s a reason I’m at Highland. I’m not sure that’s been fully revealed yet, but there’s a reason that I’m there and there’s a reason that it worked out that I’m at Highland. That’s what I truly feel and what I know,” he said.