Former Hunter High, Utah State RB Shares Son’s Cancer Diagnosis

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former Hunter High School and Utah State running back David Fiefia announced that his son, Afu, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The former Aggie shared his son’s diagnosis with a series of tweets on Monday, August 16.

“Our family has been through an emotional battle over the past few weeks: Afu was complaining about sporadic calf pain over the last several weeks, so before we took our family trip to Greece we had him see a doctor that ordered x-rays and MRI,” Fiefia posted. “Results didn’t look good from the MRI and suspected a growth of some sort/tumor in his leg. After we got home, he had a biopsy of the tumor in his calf and a full body PET/CT scan to see if there has been spread of any sort. Sitting in the waiting room outside while the biopsy was being performed, about an hour into surgery the doctor and pathologist had confirmed that indeed our son Afu has cancer. The type of cancer is classified as very aggressive and part of the Sarcoma family.”

Our family has been through an emotional battle over the past few weeks:

Afu was complaining about sporadic calf pain over the last several weeks, so before we took our family trip to Greece we had him see a doctor that ordered x-rays and MRI. #United4Afu pic.twitter.com/6bff6LOyag

— David Fiefia (@d_fiefia) August 17, 2021

“The PET/CT scan has also revealed there has been spread to his lungs, pelvis, lymph nodes in his leg and some spots in his abdomen. He is scheduled this week for a heart ultrasound in preparation to begin chemotherapy. We don’t know what the future holds and only time will tell how and if his body along with chemo will react given the aggressiveness nature of this type of cancer,” Fiefia added. “Finding out this news has hit him hard knowing he should be practicing and playing his freshman year at Highland High School here in Pocatello. He/we now have shifted our focus to helping him in a fight for his life! We are truly grateful for those that have heard the news and have reached out in prayer, love and support! The only way we have got to this point has been through constant prayer, Family and Friends support and most importantly our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It also has been through our understanding of the Plan of Salvation that families can and will be sealed for All Time and Eternity! This process has but been brutal and has taken a toll individually and as a family and this is just the beginning. It’s even been difficult to write this message as it seems surreal that this is happening to our strongest, healthiest & toughest child! We are working closely with the oncology team at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in SLC, UT were he will be receiving treatment. Although we are still in the process of finalizing the path Afu and our family will be taking, we felt it was necessary to give an official update on what’s happening with Afu and our family. WE LOVE YOU ALL!  #United4Afu“

About David Fiefia

Before his time at USU, Fiefia was a standout player for Hunter High School.

After his prep career, Fiefia played receiver at Utah State from 2000-03. During his time with the Aggies, Fiefia ran the ball 251 times for 1,193 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 80 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns out of the backfield.

Before his time at Idaho State, Fiefia was a graduate assistant at USU.

He joined the Bengals coaching staff in 2015.

.@IdahoStateFB assistant head coach David Fiefia gives pep talk before Bengals charge onto the field. #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/XLDdvpK3Ca

— Jeff Papworth (@JeffPapworth) September 1, 2017

Fiefia currently serves as Idaho State’s assistant head coach, running backs coach, and special teams coordinator.

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