Third grader Carter Cunnius is an inspiration to classmates, teachers and his community, who are now rallying behind his effort to provide toys to kids at Phoenix Children's.
“We started in September, so far this is what we have and hopefully this can get bigger,” said Carter while pointing to a tower of toys.
The 8-year-old from Norterra Canyon School in North Pheonix knows just how much a toy can mean for children facing the uncertainty of cancer. When he was four, a visit to the doctor would reveal a terrible diagnosis.
“We went to the doctor because I had a cough and they didn’t know what it was and then they found out I had cancer,” said Carter.
Doctors determined Carter had Leukemia and would face a long battle with the disease.
“It felt like somebody punched me in the stomach when they came in,” said his mother, Marie Cunnius.
While his family was devastated, Carter’s courage in the face of adversity shined.
“He was positive, I had to be positive, he was strong, I had to be strong, I have learned from this kid,” said Marie.
After enduring two and a half years of treatment, just one year ago he was declared cancer-free. Despite what he was facing, the selfless young man was already thinking of others.
“He had a lot of toys given to him during cancer, all unopened, he said, 'When I go home, I’m going to donate them to the hospital,'” said Marie. “So, I just posted what he said on Facebook and my friends started sending gifts through Amazon.”
The toys poured in by the hundreds. For three years now, he’s rallied his community to it again and this year he’s encouraged his classmates to donate too.
“I knew if they had more kids in the hospital, they’d need more toys,” said Carter. “When you have toys, you can always play because it can be boring, and if you have a disease like me, you’re not allowed in the playroom because they don’t want you getting sick.”
“We got to celebrate that with him, ringing the bell, being cancer-free,” said Robin Roach, through tears.
Roach was Carter’s first-grade teacher. She says he didn’t hesitate to share his story and the kids responded immediately.
“We had students who used their own allowance to go out and buy a hundred dollars' worth of toys, even though they didn’t know who it was going to and even though they had never experienced what Carter had, they knew they cared about Carter,” said Roach.
It’s a lesson of love that this school is happy to teach. The donation drive runs through Sunday. In the next few weeks, Carter will personally deliver the haul to Phoenix Children’s.