Football star, sick girl grow up with special bond

Stacy Betts, the quarterback on Garner's 1987 state 4-A championship team, gets emotional when he thinks about that year. He has memories of a team coming together and of the victories that led up to the state final and a 40-21 title win over Charlotte Harding.

But all that is overshadowed by an unexpected gift Betts received as a result of that championship.

He had the opportunity to help give hope to a sick little girl and to forge a friendship that would change both their lives.

A newspaper article in the wake of the championship discussed Betts' battle with leukemia years before. In the story, Betts told how he wanted to help others facing the same battle.

Annie Lewis, 4 years old at the time, already had battled leukemia for two years. Her grandmother, Marilyn Johnson, reached out to Betts' family through her beautician, and the football star made contact with the girl.

"Stacy gave us what we needed most," said Peggy Barnhill, Lewis' mother, who divorced during Annie's illness and later remarried. "He gave us hope when we needed hope.

"He had played ball and was successful. We needed that hope because everything was so uncertain then."

Betts befriended Annie, visiting at her McGee's Crossroads home between Benson and Angier. They shared Christmas celebrations and once even met at the hospital -- Annie for treatment and Betts for a checkup.

"It was one of the most emotional and gratifying things I have ever done," Betts said. "It never would have happened if we hadn't won the title. It is something I never would have expected to happen."

Lewis said she was so young and so sick that she doesn't remember a lot of the details.

She does know that Betts touched her family.

"It was such a terrible time," she said. "He was so successful, and he showed us what God could do."

Betts stayed in touch with Lewis for years, even while pitching at N.C. State.

Barnhill remembers him buying Lewis a Barbie doll and visiting for hours.

Lewis is 24 now, and her body has been damaged by her bout with cancer. She was told she was cancer-free on Aug. 18, 1988, but she has had to deal with kidney and thyroid problems.

She recently had surgery to reposition a kneecap. She hopes to return to her job at a Food Lion store in January.

Betts, 38, had not been in touch much in the past few years, but the opportunity to share with her and be a part of her life when she needed him is something that is precious to him.

"First and foremost, having the chance to meet Annie was the best thing that happened to me as a result of winning the state title," Betts said.

He was the first person in his family to go to college, and he believes the football team's success inspired him to pursue high goals.

Betts is director of operations for Cisco Systems, a technology company. He is married to former Garner sweetheart Angie Mills. They have a daughter, Morgan Grace, 7, and a son, Landon, 5.

Betts is surprised at how many people remember the '87 team. He'll meet people on airplanes and mention that he went to Garner. Many times, they mention the championship team, not knowing Betts was the club's leader.

"To me, one of the lasting effects is that we left an impression on the community," he said.

Betts appreciates what the undefeated team did that year, and he said the thrill of the state championship game even outshines helping win an ACC baseball championship at N.C. State. He knows playing high school sports made him a better person, built his confidence and forced him to work harder academically.

But of all the things sports gave him, Betts said nothing compares with being able to help a little girl when she needed help the most.

"Stacy was a sports hero," Barnhill said. "He played ball on the state championship team. He was the quarterback. He was the star.

"And he came and showed us that you can have success after being sick. God sent him to us."