Sam Allred is one extraordinary young man

I help do a morning broadcast on KVRF, Radio Free Palmer, as a guest host on Tuesday mornings. Since I started doing this I have met some very interesting people who have come on the air with Mike and me. Last Tuesday, I met someone who really blew me away.

He has a YouTube video that has gone viral with more than 80 million views, heads his own nonprofit, has published a book titled “Opening Hearts” and he’s been interviewed on radio and TV shows across the country. One TV interview was with Tyra Banks. Pretty impressive, right?

It is, because Sam Allred is just 14 years old. That is correct, no lie. He is a 14-year-old who hails from here.

But at the time of the interview I had no clue about this young man and his accomplishments. Sam was very self-assured as he climbed up the stool to face the mic. His mother sat next to me in KVRF’s tiny studio. Sam, in spite of his small stature, gave off a very large vibe. Something about this kid grabbed my attention and held it.

Since the age of 3, Sam has been at war. Not war like the one I was in. The enemy in Sam’s case is called IGM nephropathy, a very rare kidney disease. He is a veteran of a 10-year battle for his very life. Some of the treatments and meds he takes have very visible side effects, like stunting his growth and giving his face a very round appearance. But don’t let all that fool you. Inside is a very large spirit for humanity, charity and compassion.

As the interview went on, I learned that he became famous after a sibling posted a video to YouTube of him signing “The Cuppycake Song.” Search online for “Cuppycake Sam” and you can see the video that made him a star. As much as the video itself, it was the comments posted in response that started the whole thing rolling. I watched the video to pick up some information for this column. I read the comments, too. Some were very nice and supportive. Sadly, more than a few were disturbing and cruel — very cruel toward a then-9-year-old boy, his family and a curse of a disease very few understand.

Because of the video’s popularity and controversy, a number of media outlets have wanted to learn more about Sam. So Sam and his family took it as an opportunity to set the record straight and bring understanding of Sam’s fight for life to people who had posted negative and hurtful comments. He’s been interviewed on radio and television across the country, like “Inside Edition,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Tyra Banks Show.”

By the time he sat in the studio with us, he was already a seasoned pro; though without any trace of ego.

His encounters with the media fueled a burning desire to help other children and their families going through similar trials. So he wrote a book. With the help of publisher Evan Swensen, he published it in 2009. He was 10 by then. Sam’s sister Emily illustrated it as only a creative child could. Sam told his story well, geared for children of his age. His story of the disease that he has been battling for so long is straight from the heart. I have his book. I must say he did a great job. I even admitted to him during the interview I was a little jealous. (Don’t worry, we were both smiling at that.)

Sam hasn’t stopped there. Project Comfort is a pillow project — literally — inspired by the gift of a small flannel pillow by some Girl Scouts during one of his treatments. He liked the way he felt even it was for a short spell and thought he could do it too. Sam and his family hand these out at the hospitals and treatment centers — a lot of them.

Sam has a nonprofit called “Kindness for Kids” that a lot of his activities center around. The mission statement reads: “Changing lives through compassion.” Sam has plenty of that. I have rarely encountered anyone like Sam in my life. All I can say truthfully is that there is a radiance of hope coming from this young man. Sadly, that is becoming a rare thing these days.

That spirit of hope and compassion will take him many places, and it will bring healing — and maybe a little smile — to those dealing with long-term illnesses no mater what the age. In his book on the front cover says it all: “YouTube star Cuppycake Sam encourages hope and not to judge others.” He has guts, more than a bunch of Marines. His eyes twinkled, smiling back at me as I told him that at the end of our interview.

I meant every word of it and he knew it.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.