Hunter Moreland isn’t one to shirk his responsibilities.
So, when he found out that he wouldn’t be able to play saxophone during Friday's Liberty Bowl football game -- his final game as a senior at the University of Georgia -- Moreland decided to suit up anyway.
The 22-year-old Ringgold native and member of the Redcoat Marching Band wore his red, black and white uniform to a chemo treatment for a type of lymphoma in nearby Chattanooga, Tenn. He had been advised by his oncologist that it was important to stay on schedule with his treatments.
“This would have the been first time in nine years that I’ve been in marching bands in high school and with the Redcoats that I would have missed a game or practice,” said Moreland, who has been in the band for four years.
“It kind of got to me a bit. I was disappointed. I was taught that when you start something you have to finish it. I knew that I couldn’t finish in the capacity that I wanted to, so I showed up in uniform just like how all my fellow Redcoats would be. If I couldn’t go in person, I was going to be there in spirit.”
It turns out his oncologist, Davey Daniel, is a Redcoat alum, and the two snapped a photo together that was posted on the UGA band's Facebook page. “He was rather thrilled to see me in that (uniform),” Moreland said.
Moreland, who is majoring in philosophy and linguistics, plans to graduate in the spring and attend law school.
The only child and graduate of Heritage High School was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma around the Thanksgiving holiday. He had gone to an urgent care center for a persistent cough. The doctor decided to take X-rays to see if there were any signs of pneumonia.
Instead, he saw something that worried him and referred Moreland to a hospital for further tests. He and his family were floored to learn it was cancer.
“Gosh, when you hear the big C word, it just devastates you as a parent,” said his dad, Braden Moreland, an assistant principal at Ringgold Elementary School. ”We turned it over to God and had a bunch of people to start praying.”
Doctors said there is high likelihood that the cancer will go away after treatment and isn’t likely to return. Moreland is facing several more months of chemo and will commute from Athens to Ringgold for treatment.
His mother, Angela, said she’s not surprised Hunter would show up in his uniform.
She admires “his courage, and he’s always been very positive.” Moreland has played the sax for about 11 years. He doesn’t recall the exact reason he selected that instrument, but he said he has always been a fan of jazz and big band sounds.
Encouragement has flowed from current band members and alums.
That includes people like Jaron Lehman, who plays mellophone, and Jacob Weinstein, who is a band section leader.
Lehman also had cancer and is now in remission. “It’s a hard thing to go through,” he said. “Both he and I have that experience of having to balance the life of a college student and cancer treatment.”
Weinstein has known Moreland for several years.
“He’s extremely dedicated to the band and he’s always had a great spirit.” Weinstein said.
Moreland is grateful.
“Everyone always says that Redcoats are 440 of your greatest friends and they have truly been for me.”
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