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Photos courtesy of Amanda Hodnett.
The Hodnett family, including Spencer, Sam (4), Amanda and Winnie (2). Sam was diagnosed with brain cancer in early May.
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Sam Hodnett is just like any 4-year-old boy. Nicknamed “Super Sam,” he loves superheroes, soccer and playing with his family. In March, Sam’s mother, Amanda Hodnett, started noticing an issue with one of his eyes, but it wasn’t consistent, and it wasn’t affecting his everyday behavior.
“I was the only one who noticed,” Amanda Hodnett said. “Something only a mother would notice.”
The problem continued in its sporadic manner, and Amanda Hodnett worked to get Sam an appointment with a children’s ophthalmologist. At first, she was told the next available appointment was in June — three months away. But she ran into the ophthalmologist after Sunday soccer, and although they had never met before, she offered to fit Sam into her schedule.
“She didn’t have to, but she got him in two weeks later,” Hodnett said.
All the doctor noticed was slight swelling behind Sam’s eyes, but she recommended an MRI, which Amanda Hodnett said was probably a precaution to calm a mother’s worries. On May 3, Sam went to Children’s Hospital for an MRI, and instead of returning to his family 60 to 90 minutes later and going home, the doctor came out and told the Hodnetts there was a neurologist waiting at Children’s Hospital downtown. Sam had a 5-centimeter, golf ball-sized mass pushing on his brain.
“It was just like the worst nightmare,” Amanda Hodnett said. “And as he’s telling us this, Sam is sitting there playing like a normal 4-year-old.”
Later that day, Sam went to see the neurosurgeon. He underwent an eight-hour surgery to remove the mass and returned home on May 11. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain cancer.
The next step for Sam and the Hodnett family was going to St. Jude’s in Memphis for radiation treatments. They left May 18 and planned to stay for six to eight weeks for treatment, but chose to return home to continue Sam's treatment in Birmingham.
In this time of difficult changes, Amanda Hodnett said the Mountain Brook community, friends and family have rallied around them.
“I haven’t had to think about anything except for his care,” she said.
Caroline Little, a lifelong friend of Amanda Hodnett, started the “SuperSam Family Fund” through Wells Fargo bank. Starting the fund, which will help cover medical, living and travel expenses for the Hodnetts, was a way to help that best suited her abilities, Little said.
“I don’t make great casseroles, but I can go to the bank and do this for them,” she said.
To make a gift, people can stop by any Wells Fargo bank or send a check to Wells Fargo. Gifts through PayPal and Venmo will also be accepted. Because the Hodnetts were planning to be in Memphis for the majority of the next year, Little said this was also a way to help the family outside of the typical “take a meal” gesture. The ability to help, however, also extends to people who live outside of Birmingham and cannot swing by the Hodnetts' home to help.
“This is also a way for people to help who aren’t here in town,” she said on May 17. “We can’t be there in Memphis with her as she goes through this.”
Other ways to help include making a gift at Smith’s Variety, where they are offering free red ribbons in exchange for monetary gifts, or getting a T-shirt or bracelet in support of Sam from his school, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
“It’s going to be a long road,” Little said. “It’s going to be a long year, and I think they’re very hopeful of the prognosis but also very scared of what he [Sam] has to go through to get there.”
Amanda Hodnett said she probably will not be able to thank everyone for their support. The future holds several unknowns, and the next year will be tough, she said, but she is extremely grateful that there is a community thinking of them and praying for Sam.
“Everything is just one step at a time,” Hodnett said. “One positive step.”
To stay up to date on Sam’s treatment and any future fundraisers, visit facebook.com/Super-Sam-497218763813923.
Ways to support Super Sam
- Visit the Super Sam community page on Facebook
- Write check to SuperSam Family Fund and send to:
100 Office Park Drive
Birmingham, AL 35223
- Search for supersamhodnett@gmail.com on PayPal
- Search for supersamhodnett@gmail.com on Venmo
- Make sure to write “Gift to Hodnett family” in memo.
As of press time for the June edition of Village Living, the Hodnett family planned to stay at St. Jude's for Sam's treatment. After a few days in Memphis, however, they chose to return to Birmingham and Children's of Alabama.
