Still smiling: Folsom High senior to miss football season because of medical condition - but he's staying positive

Imagine being a high-profile high school athlete and being told by a doctor you won't be able to play your sport your senior year. To make matters worse, let's say the doctor says you will also miss your first year of college ball. This news, for most teens, would be devastating and for a short time, it was for Sunia Vuki, a 17-year-old senior at Folsom High School. On June 18, Vuki received the news that he has AVM; a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal tangle of blood vessels where arteries and veins connect directly, bypassing the normal capillary network. It's a serious condition in that if Vuki continued to play football, it could cause hemorrhaging, seizures, a stroke, brain damage or even death. A love of football Vuki's love for playing football began five years ago at the age of 12, when he signed up to play for the Casa Roble Jr. Rams. Vuki was 6 feet 1 inch, 509 pounds. That's not a missprint; Vuki was a huge man in a 12-year-old's body. "I was a big kid and I signed up for football, but I didn't know if I would like it," Vuki said. "Once I hit someone, I fell in love with it." Vuki played one season before he played freshman football at Casa Roble. The next two seasons, he was a starter on the varsity team. He transferred to Folsom in January and was looking forward to not only his senior year but also the opportunity to play for a state championship. Over the years, Vuki has lost weight by lifting weights and playing football. Vuki is now 6-5 and weighs 385 pounds. He's bigger than most NFL linemen and was looking forward to having a great season. "I was very much so looking forward to my senior season," Vuki said. "This was going to be my breakout season. This season was going to be the season that establishes me as a dominant offensive lineman. We were going to win a state championship. "Football has brought so many opportunities to me and I've made deep connections with so many people. I've met lifetime friends. After spending hours and hours with the same coaches and teammates, you get so deeply connected with people. Even if you don't like the person, you're connected with them." Zach Ramirez, Folsom's junior center who would have been playing next to Vuki, said he immediately fit in at Folsom. "It's like he didn't even transfer from Casa Roble; it's like he was here all the time," Ramirez said. "We were going to be the best offensive line in Folsom High history and maybe even the best offensive line in Sacramento history." Vuki loved his time playing football at Folsom, even though he only got to practice. "People always ask me how it was to transfer to Folsom and it was seamless to me," Vuki said. "I fit right in. People accepted me and it felt like family right away. People wanted to know who I was." Headaches and vision loss Vuki had his last full practice at Folsom High on June 16. That evening, he went to a friend's house to go swimming and hang out before his mom picked him up late in the evening. "At my friend's house, my head was pounding and I was slightly losing vision in my right eye," Vuki said. "My headache got worse when my mom picked me up and I went home and went to bed. We just thought it was from a long football practice in the heat. "Then I woke up at 3 a.m. and I'd say the pain in my head was an 8 or a 9. I took some Tylenol and went back to sleep and by morning my headache was gone and my vision was clear. "I went to practice on Tuesday and even before lifting weights I lost about 20 percent of my vision in my right eye. I called my mom and we went to the hospital." At Sutter Roseville, Vuki had a CT scan and spent the night in the hospital, and Wednesday around noon, a doctor came in, was polite and straightforward and told Vuki he has an AVM, saying, " 'I'm sorry, but you're not going to be able to play football for two years,' " Vuki said. "He was as blunt as he could be." For someone whose life revolved around football, Vuki said it was a life-changing announcement. Vuki's first thought was the scholarship offer he accepted on May 20 from Oklahoma State, where he planned to study Kinesiology. "My first thought was what would happen to my future at Oklahoma State?" Vuki said. "Will I still be able to play football after recovering from this? Will I still have my scholarship? What will my life look like after two years? Will football still be in the picture?" Vuki has not spoken with the coaches at Oklahoma State about the scholarship. He said if it's still on the table, he plans to attend the school. A few minutes after the doctor left the room, the tears came from Vuki as he reflected on his lost senior year of football, and the chance of missing out on possibly competing for a state championship finally sunk in. Moving on "I was down for four or five hours, but I'm a very optimistic guy and a very goal-oriented person so I knew I needed to set some new goals and that they would be my driving force to keep going," Vuki said. "Being sad or down isn't going to help me be where I want to be. I like being a happy, positive person. Being sad is not me." Vuki said he wants to keep his body in shape as best he can, and he wants to be a better person and appreciate life. "I'm very fortunate because after the first scan, the doctor said he saw something and I immediately thought it was a cancerous tumor," Vuki said. "Your mind always goes to the worst place. I'm blessed that I just have AVM and that it's not cancer and it's not life or death. AVM is treatable and I can go back to playing football like before. That has brought some light to me." Family and friends thoughts The fifth of five children, Vuki's mom, Tiff, calls Sunia her little one. "From the time Sunia was 5 weeks old, he's been smiling," Tiff said. "He's smiling when he goes to bed and he's smiling when he wakes up. Anyone who knows him knows that's who he is. "He's going to beat this diagnosis. He's going to overcome this and do great things, it's just going to take a little more time than we had planned. We are faith believers. We believe in Christ and it's because of him that Sunia is just so good. This is not the end for him, this is only the beginning. He stays humble, he stays kind, and he's an all-around great human being and I'm very grateful to be his mom." Nicki Castillo has known Sunia for four years. "Sunia is a great friend and person," Castillo said. "He always does the right thing. He is extremely funny and is someone you can talk to about anything. I know he will get through his AVM condition because he will listen to what the doctors need him to do and will do what he needs to do like he always does. His hard-working personality will help him through any troubles he will face while recovering. "Sunia has always taken things like sports seriously and makes sure he accomplishes his goals." Another longtime friend is Darren Dalton. "Sunia's an awesome kid," Dalton said. "He's got a great head on his shoulders and he stays dedicated to his goals. Not only that but he is a damn good athlete, and I am more than happy to have played on both sides of the line of scrimmage with him. I feel terrible that he has to go through this, but I think he just really needs to do whatever his doctors suggest. This is not going to be easy by any means but nothing is impossible for that kid. I am here to help him through this bump in the road." Paul Doherty's heart also goes out to Vuki and his family. "It's emotional on so many fronts," the Folsom football coach said. "You start with your health and wellbeing, and it goes to your parents and family and loved ones and those who care about you. Then it's your senior year of football; it's the culmination of a lot of things. Future opportunities, college; there are a lot of emotions coming at you at once. There's also gratitude; thank God they found it. Thank God he went and got it checked out. If there's a silver lining, it sounds like it's treatable, so that is a great thing." What's ahead Vuki's two-year treatment begins with radiation. He doesn't know how long the treatment will last before the next course of action. The big thing to him is he should be able to play football once the treatment is over. "The doctor said if all goes well with the treatment that I should be able to play football again," Vuki said. "That's a big motivator for me for sure."