SIT DOWN WITH STEVE: Pediatric Cancer Survivors Julie Spurlock and Sydney Creel Talk About Their Struggles

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

WATCH: To kick off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Steve Wilson sat down and talked with two pediatric cancer survivors from Brevard County, Sydney Creel, a graduate of Titusville High School, and Julie Spurlock, a graduate of Merritt Island High School. Both young ladies are doing remarkably well and are students at Eastern Florida State College.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It is the month where we all go “gold” in honor of those that have battled cancer and in memory of those that have died from cancer.

The Friday Night Locker Room’s Orville Susong and Steve Wilson will recognize one cancer patient at each of their football games during the month of September. The individual will be recognized with a video that will be shown during the broadcast.

Susong and Wilson will also show images and talk about the person throughout the game.

To kick off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Wilson sat down and talked with two pediatric cancer survivors from Brevard County, Sydney Creel, a graduate of Titusville High School, and Julie Spurlock, a graduate of Merritt Island High School.

Creel, now 21 years old, was diagnosed with cancer at age seven. She was found to have a brain tumor between the brain stem and spinal cord. Two-thirds of her life has been consumed with cancer treatments.

Spurlock, now 22 years old, was diagnosed with Very-High-Risk, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (VHS ALL) at age 13. After a three-year battle with VHS ALL, she defeated the dreaded disease, only to relapse at age 16, this time with Pre-B ALL.

Both young ladies are doing remarkably well. Both are attending college and making plans for a long future.

Having spent time at Camp Boggy Creek as a counselor working with children with medical issues, Creel is thinking about a career along those lines. She expects to receive her A.A. degree from Eastern Florida State College in 2023.

Spurlock will graduate with her A.S. degree in 2022 from Eastern Florida State College. She is undecided as to exactly the career path she will take but knows it will be somewhere in the healthcare industry. Spurlock would like to go into pediatrics, so she can give back to young people whom she can so easily identify.

Creel and Spurlock are both strong advocates for pediatric cancer issues. Both would like to see more attention given to childhood cancer, with more funding and research provided.

As Creel put it, “They are kids! We want to see them grow up and live full and happy lives.”

Creel and Spurlock will have lasting medical issues they will have to deal with because, unfortunately, once you beat cancer, it does not go away. However, if anyone can beat the odds, it is Sydney Creel and Julie Spurlock.

They are two of the strongest people I have ever met.

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