University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: A Special Signing
November 26, 2019 | Wrestling, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
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Mason Fannin is only 7 years old, but has a clear idea of what he likes.
At first, he might hesitate to tell you. But give him a few minutes to get to know you, and he'll certainly open up.
He'll tell you of his love for science and drawing and piano, as well as hunting and fishing and camping. His favorite superhero, Black Panther, and band, Metallica – yes, Metallica – might also come up. One thing, however, is almost certain: Part of the conversation will be spent on Nerf guns. He might even challenge you to a Nerf gun war.
As many interests as Mason, from Clayton, North Carolina, has, playing a sport has never really been one, said his mom, Ashley. But for a while, her father, a former wrestler, has told Mason he should give wrestling a try.
Now, he very well might.
On Nov. 13, the first day of the national signing period, Mason became an official member of the North Carolina wrestling team during a signing day ceremony at Carmichael Arena. The event came after Mason was matched with the team through Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college teams.
Mason was diagnosed with leukemia back in February. And in the nine months since then, he and his family have experienced the sorts of hardships that only other families who have been in their situation could possibly understand.
Some days are worse than others. But Mason, who has been dubbed "Warrior Mason" by friends and family, keeps fighting. His support team also continues to grow.
Ashley had been searching for opportunities that'd brighten Mason's life when she came across a Team IMPACT flyer last spring. Immediately, she thought this was something Mason would enjoy. So, she contacted the nonprofit about getting involved. A few months later, a Team IMPACT representative called about picking a team.
"Whenever they asked which sport," Ashley said, "I said, 'It really doesn't matter; he'll have fun with whatever team.'"
But when asked how she felt about Mason joining the Tar Heel wrestling team, Ashley, a UNC alumna, thought of her dad and the other people in Mason's life with wrestling ties and figured that would be an ideal fit.
It's quickly proving to be.
"I think already it's by far exceeded our expectations with how welcoming everyone has been and how they've made Mason feel," Ashley said. "He's had a lot taken away from him over the past few months and has had to miss out on things, and this is something that is his and something that he has to look forward to that's not at the hospital."
'The epitome of a fighter'
Before Mason's diagnosis, Ashley had spent nearly 15 years as a pediatric oncology nurse at UNC Children's Hospital.
So many times she had to tell a child they had cancer. So many times she had to help their family navigate the fear and uncertainty of what came next. But none of that could prepare her for when she learned the eldest of her three children had leukemia on Feb. 6, a little more than three weeks before Mason's seventh birthday.
"It really is a blessing and a curse," Ashley said. "For (Mason's) dad (Jeremy), it's easier to take things day by day and not think about all of the possibilities in the future, but it's hard for me to erase all of those experiences and things I've seen."
The first two phases of chemotherapy (induction and consolidation), which Mason recently completed, are the most intensive and caused his blood cell counts to drop. Because of that, Ashley said they essentially had to "put him in a bubble" to protect him from germs.
Birthday parties came and went, but Mason could never go. The idea of taking any sort of family vacations became an afterthought. So, too, did any hunting and fishing trips.
As someone who likes to plan months, sometimes even a year, in advance, Ashley said she's had to learn how to live day by day and not worry about the future. At times, though, that hasn't been easy, such as when Mason started losing his thick blond hair.
"It's hair and it will grow back," she said. "But I think it's more of what it symbolizes. When it comes out, it makes it all so much more real."
Ashley said Mason, who is in remission, understands what he's going through, and there have been times when he's cried. But overall, he hasn't let leukemia slow him down. And that's not only inspiring for his mom and dad, but for everyone he meets.
"This guy is the epitome of a fighter," said Coleman Scott, UNC's head wrestling coach, during Mason's signing day press conference. "You see who you are when you hit a little adversity, and this guy here has shown who he is."
Two weeks ago, Mason returned to school for the first time since his diagnosis. He only went for two half days that week. That, however, doesn't make the milestone any less significant.
Ashley said by the end of each half day, Mason realized how tired he was and that it'll take some time for him to adjust to being back. But he was all smiles when they picked him up both days.Â
"You can tell he's really ready to be back, and he's even said that he's ready just to jump back in full time," Ashley said. "He's just ready to be a kid. He doesn't want to talk about this; he just wants to go to school, learn, have fun and be with his friends."
Both old and new.
Merging families
A three-time All-American at Iowa from 2010-14, Tony Ramos compiled a 120-14 record and capped his career by winning the NCAA title at 133 pounds. But as much as he did on the mat for the Hawkeyes, he didn't feel as if he did enough in the community.
So, when Ramos joined the UNC coaching staff in 2016 as a volunteer assistant, he made it a priority to work better with the student-athlete development office.
In the three years since then, Ramos, who's now the associate head coach, and the wrestling team have given back in several ways. They've especially done a lot with UNC Children's Hospital. Last year, the Tar Heels raised more than $5,000 for the hospital. They also welcomed an honorary kid captain from UNC Children's to every home dual.
One day this summer, Ramos said Korie Sawyer Rich, the assistant director of student-athlete development, called him about continuing the kid captain initiative this season. It was then that she also mentioned Mason, who she thought would be a good fit with the wresting team.
"When she said that," Ramos recalled, "I was like, 'Let's do it. We're in 100 percent. Tell me what we've got to do next.'"
First came some paperwork and phone calls that helped the Fannins feel out the situation. Then, on Oct. 16, Ramos, Scott and a few members of the team finally met Mason and gave him a VIP tour of campus and the athletic facilities. A week later, the Fannins returned for wrestle offs, where they met the rest of the team.
All of that led up to Mason's signing day ceremony. And now, the real fun begins.
As an official member of the team, Mason will attend practices, duals, team dinners and more. Ramos said a custom Carolina singlet is being made. Once it arrives, he hopes to organize a photoshoot for Mason and get a headshot taken so he can be added to the online roster.
Mason also has some ideas for how he'll spend his time with the team. He's already identified the wrestling room inside Fetzer Hall as a prime spot for a Nerf gun war.
"I'll bring the biggest Nerf gun that's in the whole entire store," he told one student-athlete.
Of course, Mason's health will influence when he'll visit and how much he'll be able to do. He's scheduled to begin the third and final phase of chemotherapy, known as maintenance, on Dec. 3. Although that phase is the least intensive, it's also the longest, typically lasting about two years.
But most days Mason receives treatment, he won't be alone. Redshirt sophomore Gino Esposito said he and his teammates are hoping to swing by the UNC pediatric hematology/oncology clinic and offer their support whenever they can.
That's the least they can do, Esposito said.
"He's fighting for his life and he's not complaining and he's not feeling sorry for himself," he said. "But he's smiling. And I think that everything you need to know about him is in that smile; it says more than words can.Â
"It really touches the heart and puts things in perspective because it's always more than wrestling and that's how we need to treat it. Wrestling is a platform for us to help kids like Mason during this hard time. And he helps us, too. He inspires us. Everyone is winning as we merge families."
Despite being big Carolina fans, the Fannins rarely visited Chapel Hill before Mason's diagnosis. For that reason, Ashley said she couldn't bare the thought of Mason associating only bad things with the University that is such a part of her.
That's no longer a concern, though, thanks to the wrestling program and Team IMPACT.
"We just want him to have something special that encourages him and picks his spirits up on days that he's down," Ashley said. "He's lost things, but we want him to see also that there's still something out there special for him, no matter what he's going through."
Players Mentioned
