Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra's Wife Shares Battle of 4-Year-Old Son Against Cancer

Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra Erik Spoelstra son beats cancer remission Burkitt Lymphoma Nikki Sapp Spoelstra

By Mavic Thompson , Parent Herald Jul 26, 09:49 am

The four-year-old son of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his wife, Nikki Sapp Spoelstra, is conquering cancer and has rung the golden bell at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

Nikki posted on her Instagram on Friday that their four-year-old son, Santiago is in remission after a bout with a rare form of cancer, Burkitt Lymphoma. The kid was diagnosed with cancer in March. A week after his birthday, the family put him into treatment, Yahoo! News reports.

The proud mom announced that after months of treatment and chemotherapy, Santiago was able to ring the bell at the cancer wing of Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Ringing the bell signifies that the patient is in remission.

Nikki said her son was brave throughout his treatment and did not lose his joy. She added that so many friends and loved ones also ensured that none in the family lost their "joy." The mom promised that she wanted to open up more and create meaningful dialogue around the subject of childhood cancer and how it meant to her as a parent, but for now, she said she just wanted to be grateful.

Missing a Miami Heat game

Her husband, Erik, missed the Miami Heat's game against the Brooklyn Nets last March to be with his family for "a medical procedure for one of his two sons." According to Clutch Points, the head coach missing a game in March is quite concerning for sports fans as he is not the type to miss games for Miami Heat. Heat fans note that the two-time NBA champion coach has one of the perfect attendance records in the entire league. He gave no other details at the time, except that one of his sons underwent an unexpected surgery. It was just recently that the family revealed that Santiago had cancer.

The Spoelstras currently have two children, Santiago and his brother Dante. The family is expecting a third girl child soon.

Burkitt Lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma is a rare and aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymphatic system. The symptoms of Burkitt Lymphoma would depend on the type of cancer the patient has. The type of cancer commonly found in the U.S., the sporadic and immunodeficiency-associated, usually starts in the bowel and forms a tumor mass in the abdomen and other organs like the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue, night sweats, unexplained fever, and weight loss.

Burkitt Lymphoma is most common in children living in SubSaharan Africa, where it is associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and chronic malaria. Outside of Africa, cases of Burkitt lymphoma are rare. As per WebMD, there are around 1,200 people diagnosed with this type of cancer in the U.S. each year.

It is known to spread quickly. Hence, a prompt diagnosis is essential. This type of cancer is also fatal if left untreated, but fast intensive chemotherapy cures Burkitt lymphoma in children, leading to long-term survival rates of 60 percent to ninety percent.