FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
HOUSTON – University of Houston sophomore infielder David Murphy reached a pivotal milestone in his life on Friday. He completed his final treatment for acute lymphoid leukemia at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Cougar fans will know that Murphy was diagnosed in September of 2007. He has been receiving treatment ever since and is now in remission. To commemorate the end of this chapter in his life, Murphy was joined by his family and Dr. Zoann Dreyer at Texas Children’s where they presented him with a cake.
The Beaumont, Texas, native is entering his sophomore season this spring. He saw limited action since joining the team in the fall of 2007 and was forced to take a redshirt to deal with his treatments.
Despite being a patient, Murphy has routinely given back to the hospital that has spent so much time at the past three years. In addition, he speaks on local radio stations as part of the Texas Children’s Hospital annual Radiothon and has made other appearances on behalf of the hospital.
Murphy also invites patients to join him in the Cougar dugout, serving as batboys and to participate in the honorary first pitch. He also served as a counselor at Camp Periwinkle, a camp for cancer patients.
For all of his efforts, Murphy was named a Conference USA Spirit of Service award winner in 2009.
As a result of his time at Texas Children’s, the Houston Cougar baseball team has become a permanent fixture in the Medical Center. They have routinely visited the hospital and patients since Murphy’s diagnosis. The team last paid a visit in early December, prior to the start of the semester break. Houston also organized a group of student-athletes from each baseball team that qualified for the 2010 Conference USA Baseball Championship at Cougar Field to spend an afternoon at the hospital.
Despite all of the adversity, Murphy still manages to perform well in the classroom. Following the Fall 2010 semester he was named to the Dean’s List, is a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and maintains a GPA above 3.5.
The Cougars are currently holding off-season workouts in preparation for the 2011 season. Houston kicks off the year with a three-game series against Texas-Arlington on Feb. 18-20.
