Cross Kubik defies the odds yet again to continue baseball career
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (BVM) — At 20 months old, Cross Kubik was given virtually no chance to survive from a central nervous system tumor. Yet, remarkably, he pushed through and did. Last summer, cancer would return for the Kickapoo rising senior, being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and again being given a small chance to survive.
However, the resilient athlete defied the odds once again, and was already back out on the baseball diamond this past spring.
When Kubik was an infant, he began enduring stomach pain. After a scan, it was revealed he had a tumor called neuroblastoma. Although he was given virtually no chance to survive, Kubik’s parents, Brian and Ashley, dropped their entire lives to move to Memphis, Tenn. so Cross could be treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Initially, Cross was given a 10-30 percent chance of survival. But after it was revealed that he had a cell type which is typically unresponsive to chemotherapeutic drugs, Cross was given a less than 10 percent chance to live.
With numbers that might take away anyone’s hope, Cross’ parents were desperate to try anything. As a result, Cross was the first person to receive a recently FDA-approved experimental drug called ZD-1839. The family would end up being in Memphis for over a year. But after just two weeks of treatment, Cross’ tumor had shrunk 50 percent.
Cross continued his treatment by going through 13 rounds of chemotherapy. After a lengthy 12-hour surgery, Cross then had to go through 17 rounds of radiation, and a bone marrow replacement.
However, Cross began healing quicker than most ever would, as his cells continued to recover. Still, doctors made the family aware that with all Cross had endured, he could eventually suffer from learning disabilities, vision loss or hearing loss. But the future baseball star beat the odds.
“I don’t remember any of the treatment at the time,” Cross said. “With all the check ups, I was always a healthy kid. I don’t remember any serious trauma, but as I got older, I saw how sick some kids could be, so it made me realize how blessed I truly was that I was able to conquer cancer the first time. I can’t thank my parents enough for obvious reasons.”
Cross had lived a healthy life since his childhood cancer. Going back for annual checkups, all had gone well for several years. Recovered, the cancer survivor began taking up his love for sports.
When he was 3, Cross began playing t-ball. He also took up basketball, football and most recently golf. But his talent on the diamond has been undeniable.
During his youth, Cross joined the Southwest Missouri Bombers. The talented athlete played third base, helping his team to two state-title victories. During the 2016 season, Cross hit .500 with 15 home runs.
His play was also impressive enough to earn him a spot on an All-American team, leading to a trip to Florida to play with some of the best in the country.
“State titles are obviously a huge deal, but it kind of just put me into a more competitive mindset in the sport,” Cross noted. “The All-American thing was a huge deal. Back then, I was all in for baseball.”
By the time he got to Kickapoo High School, Cross realized he had another talent within baseball: pitching. Playing his first season between freshman and JV ball, Cross began by playing second base. On the mound, the baseball star began developing multiple pitches from different arm angles, and was poised to command a varsity pitching role as a sophomore.
However, having his sophomore season canceled right before the start of the year took away that opportunity.
“I wasn’t too upset only being a sophomore, but obviously missing out on a season sucks,” Cross explained. “I felt worse for the seniors that didn’t get their last chance.”
Last summer, though, Cross would face much bigger adversity. Trying out for a travel baseball team, Cross felt fine, but noticed some sores in his mouth. He also began eating less and losing weight. With his annual check-up at St. Jude canceled due to COVID-19, some worry arose.
After a physical in the fall, it was revealed Cross had low hemoglobin, low platelets and was anemic. Just a couple days later, the Kubiks’ greatest fear came true, as Cross was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
“The results came in and the doctor told us all that I had acute myeloid leukemia,” Cross said. “Obviously, some tears were shed, but I knew at that time to just put all my trust in God and that it was time to get to work. I knew that it would be a totally different battle this time but I never really had a negative view throughout the whole process.”
From there, the family endured the same situation they had been in 15 years ago, as they packed their bags and headed to Memphis. Throughout the early stages, Cross was again faced with devastating news. There was only a 25 percent survival chance, and if he did survive, he could possibly lose his teeth, sight and liver functionality among other issues.
“They wanted me to come down there immediately, so we went down to Memphis the next day,” Cross explained. “The doctor said the survival rate is less than 20 percent and if I don’t get a bone marrow transplant, survival is zero.”
Cross began chemo the very next day. By day eight of chemotherapy, the rising senior endured one of his toughest days, as his skin turned green and he got continually weaker. But just two days later, things changed for the better. Cross began getting back to his normal self, and it wasn’t before long that the Kubiks finally received good news: there was no evidence of the disease in his body after the first round of chemo.
“That was just an absolute joyous day and a huge step of positivity for everyone in our family,” Cross said. “We also knew that we still had some work to do, but we celebrated at that time.”
However, Cross still needed to find a match for a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. Doctors did find a 10 of 10 match in Germany, but the individual could not fly into the United States in time due to Covid protocols. So, the focus was placed on Cross’ family.
Cross’ 12-year-old sister, Creighton, ended up being a seven of 10 match. With Creighton sold on the idea, and the FDA and ethics board approving, it was time for the sister to donate to her brother.
With a goal of obtaining five million cells on the first day, Creighton exceeded doctors’ expectations, producing 30 million cells — allowing for the best ones to be selected. Soon after, Cross’ transplant was complete.
“There were a lot more possibilities of getting diseases and illnesses after, but it was our only choice at the time,” Cross said about the transplant. “Creighton stepped up big time and she’s extremely mature. The relationship with me and her is just on a whole new level with us being brother and sister. She never complained about a single thing and I’m obviously very blessed with everything she was able to do.”
After the transplant, Cross was given a 45-60-day window that he was told he would be in the hospital. However, the 17-year-old is resilient, and was also driven by the upcoming baseball season. After being told the earliest someone left after a bone marrow transplant was 14 days, Cross was determined to leave in 13, and did just that.
“I had so many different people helping me in their own different ways,” Cross said. “I ended up walking 26 miles in the 13 days I was there. My whole family and the whole community in Springfield was just unreal with support through the entire process.”
Cross’ main battle may have been over, but he still had work to do in order to achieve his goal of making the Kickapoo baseball team this past spring. Slowly but surely, the athlete continued to get stronger and ramp up activity, whether it was throwing a baseball with his dad or hitting golf balls into the Mississippi River.
“I had intentions of playing varsity baseball this spring,” Cross said. “When I got home, it was still a grind.”
However, Cross worked day after day, and just months after going through one of the toughest times of his life, one of the best occurred, as he made the varsity team.
Once on the team, Cross still wasn’t satisfied. He worked throughout the season, and even became an all-conference performer on the mound. However, nothing will compare to that first appearance he made at the beginning of the season.
“This spring was awesome, I pitched great,” Cross said. “The first time I went in, it was a save opportunity. I remember I looked up in the crowd, and every single person up there had tears in their eyes. It was a big deal and helped a lot of people out in the community while motivating people to achieve their own goals.”
Through the offseason, Cross hopes to continue to get stronger and back to full health. Next year, he will be Kickapoo’s No. 1 pitcher.
“I’ll be the No. 1 next year and I’m super excited for it,” Cross said. “That’s just going to motivate me even more to keep pushing and keep getting stronger.”
Prior to the past year, Cross was a likely surefire college baseball player. While he still has goals of becoming a college athlete, the pitcher has actually taken up a new sport to pursue.
“I’ve gone through a lot of thinking and while I was in Memphis I grew a huge liking for golf,” Cross said. “When we were in Memphis, I would just go out and hit 100 golf balls into the river day after day. I’m hoping to play golf in college and have been doing pretty good this season. I’m able to play golf and pitch this summer and I keep getting better day in and day out.”
Outside of athletics, Cross hopes to attend school locally while joining a scholars program to become an orthopedic surgeon — a desire that came about through his time in the hospital.
Cross continues to receive good news at all of his checkups. While many would probably live in fear of the disease returning, that has never been in the mind of the 17-year-old.
“I’ve never thought about it returning,” Cross said. “I have no fears about that at all and have full trust in God and all of the medical professionals that are monitoring me through it all. If it happens to come back at some point in the future, I’ll tackle it head on just like I did this time.”
Remarkably, Cross has defied major odds twice in his life. Getting back close to full health, he has realized just how special his story is, and hopes others can perhaps find inspiration in what he has done.
“I’d like to think I’m pretty close to 100 percent normal now,” Cross said. “All I can say is just find some sort of motivation and ride that throughout the process. Never take a negative look on anything that’s happening throughout your day. Always try to find the most positive thing and never have a negative mindset.”
