Eddie Sutton Foundation announces inaugural class of 6th Man Scholarship Award winners
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Media Contact: Mack Burke | OSU Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | mack.burke_iv@okstate.edu
The Eddie Sutton Foundation has announced the inaugural four winners of the Eddie Sutton 6th Man Scholarship Award to recognize students who are cancer survivors or who have faced a cancer diagnosis with a family member.
The 6th Man Scholarship is named after former Oklahoma State University men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton. It is based on the concept of the sixth man in basketball who is not a starter but is the best player off the bench who often provides a major lift for the team.
“Each one of these 6th Man Scholarship winners’ struggle with cancer speaks to the core of our mission to mirror the coaching style of our mentor, Eddie Sutton,” said Steve Roy, Eddie Sutton Foundation board member and scholarship coordinator. “Coach Sutton’s formula of hard work, perseverance and dogged commitment to the game made him a hall-of-fame level success on the basketball court. Eddie’s teams battled on the court, but these students have battled cancer in the trenches of life and death personally or with a family member.”
Each winner will receive a $2,500 grant to apply to the college of their choice. Recipients were recognized at the 2023 Cowboys vs. Cancer Cowboy Classic Golf Tournament.
The Eddie Sutton Foundation’s mission is to make a positive impact in the fight against cancer by raising funds, supporting families and providing meaningful OSU experiences for those affected by the disease.
Eddie Sutton 2023 6th man scholarship winners
Paige Eberle – OSU – Sasakwa, Oklahoma
Eberle was told her chances of survival were slim when she was diagnosed with fibrolamellar carcinoma in 2020. She endured a treatment regimen of six surgeries and countless other procedures. She is still fighting new disorders and health problems that she developed in her treatment.
“I feel as if college is my chance to reclaim a more ‘normal’ life,” Eberle said. “I want college to be the place where I can worry about my education more and about my health issues less. Obviously, there will always be a fear that my cancer will come back, but I’m not going to allow that fear to forever dominate my life.
“College is going to be the place where I can be free of that worry, free of that fear.”
Jaden Brunnemer – OSU – Stillwater, Oklahoma
When Brunnemer was 2, she was diagnosed with an extrarenal rhabdoid tumor and began treatment at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
Just before her third birthday, Brunnemer was declared cancer free and has been in remission for 19 years. She has become an advocate for others who have endured childhood cancer and plans to continue that work in college and beyond.
“I still live with the side effects of my early cancer treatments of chronic pain, emotional and physical stress, fertility issues and more,” Brunnemer said. “I don’t let my limitations hold me back, these are just challenges I have always had to deal with, so to me, this has always been my way of life.”
Luke Spady – OSU – Hinton, Oklahoma
Cancer has impacted Spady’s life through death and hardship in his family. Both his mom and dad were diagnosed with cancer and survived.
In 2009, his older brother, Caleb, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. More than a year later, Caleb died at the age of 11. Through the tragedy, Spady learned the value of extended family, church and community.
“My brother Caleb’s death affects every aspect of my life,” Spady said. “I miss the big brother he was and would have been. Cancer has certainly had a devastating impact on my life. But, just as the fear, worry and sorrow shaped me, so did the positive people around me.”
Trevor Storie – Oklahoma Baptist University – Shawnee, Oklahoma
Storie was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate at the age of 9. Treatment brought him into remission, but two years later he found himself fighting the disease again.
As a survivor, Storie knew he wanted to help people. He is seeking a degree in kinesiology to work with young and active kids someday in his professional life.
“Since having cancer, stress and anxiety have been a prominent thing in my life,” Storie said. “After going through cancer twice, I experienced many challenges, but I felt every trial made me better and stronger.
“This disease helped me to see how people can help other people in need and inspired me to train to help show others in similar circumstances a different life perspective.”