Through 7 cancer battles, Fruitdale’s Sid Hobbs still inspiring others

It’s hard for Elizabeth Hobbs to find the right words to describe her son.

“When you sit back and watch him go through this and see how he reacts and how positive his attitude continues to be … I don’t know how he does it,” she said.

Her son is Sid Hobbs, a 17-year-old who just finished his junior year at Fruitdale High School. He currently is battling brain cancer for the seventh time in his young life.

“If you saw him, when you meet him, you would never know anything is wrong,” said John Hobbs, Sid’s dad and his baseball coach. “He’s always smiling. He is not the type of kid who wants to draw any attention to himself. He hates being the center of attention.”

Despite beginning his latest cancer battle this spring, Sid still competed with his Fruitdale teammates on the baseball field. He hit. 444 with a .681 on-base percentage and stole 15 bases.

He was selected to the All-Washington County team.

On Sunday night at Jacksonville State University, Hobbs will be honored by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as the Jimmy Smothers Courage Award winner. The award, named in honor of the longtime Gadsden Times sports editor, is given annually to a young student-athlete who has shown resilience in overcoming obstacles in his or her life.

Sid Hobbs certainly fits the bill.

“He hasn’t let this thing slow him down at all,” John Hobbs said. “He continues to train for upcoming seasons and continues to play golf. His faith that, no matter what comes God is in control, has been an inspiration. His smile and determination to make every day count even in the face of extreme adversity makes me want to be just like him.”

Sid’s cancer journey started March 15, 2010, at the age of 2. He was diagnosed with an ependymoma brain tumor at USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Mobile. He had emergency surgery to remove the tumor. Two years later, he started playing organized football and baseball.

“I can’t remember a day in the past 15 years that he hasn’t had a ball in his hand,” John Hobbs said. “He fought his first bout like a champ, and, after multiple rounds of chemotherapy and proton radiation, it seemed like he slew the dragon.”

Sid had regular checkups for seven years with no sign of a cancer return as he continued to play and excel in whatever sport was in season (football, basketball, baseball). However, in July of 2017, his regular six-month MRI showed a new tumor growth in a different place on his brain.

The battle began all over again.

“The only time I remember him being sad or discouraged in those initial months was not when we told him he had to go back to St. Jude and stay for his treatments, but the day I had to tell him he was going to have to sit out football and basketball season,” John Hobbs said. “The thought of not being able to play crushed him for a moment, but then it propelled him to do whatever it took to defeat cancer and get back for baseball. For months, he went blow for blow with the beast, finishing cycle after cycle with little or no side effects.”

But, in October of that year, Sid was rushed to Intensive Care at St. Jude with a bloodstream infection. Again, he overcame the odds but was later hampered by side effects of the infection and an extreme case of colitis, an inflammation of the colon. These battles led to a rare moment of depression for Hobbs.

“He wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t get up,” John Hobbs said. “He was a shell of the kid I knew, and that was scary to see.”

Doctors told Sid if he started eating and getting up, he would be able to go home in time to play baseball in his hometown of Citronelle. That sparked Hobbs once again.

“Within two weeks, he gained 10 pounds and was moving around like nothing happened,” John Hobbs said. “Not only did he get to play baseball, but he helped his team to the league championship and was chosen as an All-Star.”

There have been a lot of good days for Sid since, but they always seem to be followed by another battle. His dad estimates the family has made more than 50 trips to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis over the course of Sid’s life.

“It’s like the car could just drive itself there now,” John said.

This past April — on another one of those trips to Memphis — Sid was diagnosed with yet another new tumor. This time, the cancer cells have spread throughout the ventricle.

“He wasn’t given many options for treatment, but that didn’t stop him,” John said of the diagnosis. “He was only concerned about getting back to play the next day and finishing the baseball season strong.”

Having already endured seven surgeries and 60 rounds of radiation, Sid’s treatment options this time were limited. He is currently participating in Optune device therapy. The Optune is a medical device Sid wears on his head. It works by applying altering electrical fields to the brain with the goal of disrupting the cancer cells and slowing tumor growth.

Sid Hobbs is undergoing Optune Device therapy this summer. (Contributed)Contributed

“He has to wear it 24 hours a day,” John said. “He calls it his guardian cap.”

Sid will return to St. Jude in July to check on the progress of the device.

He has received inspiration throughout all his battles by watching Alabama football and even facetiming with former Tide and current Miami Dolphin QB Tua Tagovailoa.

This summer, Sid is set to see a lot of major league baseball.

“Due to his current prognosis, he had 18 MLB stadiums that he hasn’t been to, so we are making that dream come true this summer, and we are going to visit those 18 parks to watch a game,” John said.

Through it all, sports has been the release Sid has always needed.

“Playing the game is most important to him,” his father said. “It’s been his go-to since he was 2. This time, when he got the diagnosis, it was an easy mindset for him. ‘Let’s play some baseball and not worry about what we can’t control.’”