HHS freshman marks nine cancer-free years

By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
If you met him today, you would never know that Matt McCutcheon had to fight for his life at age 4 after he contracted leukemia, a cancerous blood disease.
The 15-year old Hartselle High School freshman is a picture of good health now with ample energy to do anything he wants to do…playing soccer, going hunting or riding his bike. He is a cancer survivor.
He was one of those who participated in Morgan County’s Relay for Life American Cancer Society fundraiser in Hartselle on Friday night.
McCutcheon was diagnosed with leukemia in November 1994 and spent the next two and a half years undergoing chemotherapy treatments at University Hospital in Birmingham.
About a year into his treatments he suffered a hard blow that was totally unrelated to the disease he was fighting. He got hit in the head with a baseball bat during a party for his older brother.
As a cancer survivor, Matt had the opportunity to meet and get to know Deidre Downs, Miss Alabama and Miss America in 2005.
He is also a staunch supporter of Camp Smile-A-Mike in Alexander City. Cancer survivors and their families are invited to attend the summer camp sessions free of change thanks to sponsor’s donations.