Duke salutes kids in medical struggles
DURHAM, N.C. — The action had stopped in Duke’s rowdy Cameron Indoor Stadium for a timeout. For 10-year-old Samantha DiMartino, the most exciting part of the night had arrived.
She smiled while walking to midcourt alongside Marcelle Scheyer, the wife of Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer, as the arena announcer told her story. Samantha has been a patient of Duke Children’s Hospital since 2017 with an inoperable brain tumor, previously completing 15 months of chemotherapy and last summer becoming the pediatric neuro-oncology department’s first patient to complete a new clinical trial.
Cheers grew louder from the blue-painted and costumed “Cameron Crazies.” Fans in upstairs sections stood to join the rising volume. As Samantha waved, the noise approached in-game levels to salute a courageous fourth-grader who loves dance, running 5Ks and, oh yes, Duke basketball.
This was a snapshot of a gameday tradition in its infancy here, tied to two of the biggest brands in major college sports: the storied program with five national championships on the court and the famous student section known for its antics off it. The moment is one of encouragement and tribute, acknowledgement and hope — and it stands out amid Cameron’s constant chaos.
“I’m just so proud of her for everything that she’s gone through,” said Lauren Brill, Samantha’s mother, after Wednesday’s ceremony during the Louisville-Duke game. “And just to see this crowd celebrate these accomplishments with her, it means the world to see everyone behind her and encouraging her.”
That’s all Marcelle Scheyer could have hoped in launching the Scheyer Family Kid Captain Program last season, her husband’s first as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. The aim was bolstering existing ties with the renowned hospital to give patients an up-close look at the program; Saturday’s game against Virginia marked the sixth kid captain this season and 11th overall.
Kid captains attend the game-day shootaround, followed by getting the chance to dribble around or shoot on the Cameron court as a photographer documents everything, so the families can just enjoy the moment instead of trying to capture it.