Angus Cunningham stands in front of a room full of NRL footballers, all of them hanging on his every word as he recounts his harrowing story of facing cancer twice before the age of 12.
It's truly a full-circle moment.
A decade earlier, the passionate Sharks fan was embraced by the club during the fight of his young life against Hodgkin's lymphoma, with regular invitations to training, the dressing rooms and even home visits from players.
Now 22 years old and thriving, having recently published a memoir called Twice Before Twelve: A Journey Through Childhood Cancer, the Sutherland Shire local has embarked on a new path as an author and motivational speaker.
From that came the opportunity to address the Sharks squad ahead of Saturday's match with the Dolphins at Ocean Protect Stadium.
"It was quite a surreal experience," Cunningham says.
"It was a bit of a 'pinch myself' moment, especially as I was thinking 10-year-old me would have been so starstruck. It was awesome.
"The boys listened to the story, asked great questions and they were really nice afterwards and sent me some nice messages too.
"Definitely a spin out, but it was a really nice experience and I couldn't speak of the club and how they handle themselves any higher."
Aged just nine, Cunningham's life was turned upside down when he discovered swollen lymph nodes on his neck. The lumps were initially thought to be the result of an infection, but further testing revealed a devastating cancer diagnosis.
"We found out that it was Hodgkin's lymphoma," Cunningham remembers.
"It was about three to four months of treatment. It was just some chemo and then it was responding well to treatment and the PET scan was looking good. It was completely clear after a couple of rounds of chemo."
Deemed to be in remission, the sports-loving Cunningham resumed playing footy and soccer, regaining some sense of a normal childhood as he started Year 6.
But eighteen months later, he received the news no one wants to hear. The cancer was back – and more aggressive. Doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of survival.
"It spread to both sides of my neck and my stomach this time as well," he says.
"The first time I was a lot more naïve. I was very young and going with the flow. I didn't really know what was going on, but when I was 12, I was a lot more mature.
"It's sad to say, but you realise going through it once how drastic it can be. Kids you're in hospital with don't end up making it as well, so it's very traumatic coming back the second time and especially given the 50-50 prognosis it was quite scary."
Thankfully, Cunningham came out the other side and finished treatment in October 2016 – coincidentally the same month the Sharks won their maiden premiership.
The club's support meant the world to Cunningham during his toughest times.
"I had players like Andrew Fifita, to name one, FaceTiming me while I was in hospital and taking me to training," the De La Salle junior footballer recalls.
"Michael Ennis came and visited my house and played FIFA with me as a kid.
"I was always decked out in Sharks stuff and had an opportunity to go to the games and get tickets whenever I asked. The team treated me like their own little kid. They were so nice to me and it shows the (power of the) Shire community."
While he regained his physical health, the mental impact of Cunningham's experience throughout treatment was long-lasting, leading to a PTSD diagnosis.
He was told to journal his thoughts – a process that led him to write a memoir and use his story to help others see that setbacks don't need to keep you down.
"After three-and-a-half years, I finished the book," Cunningham says. "I'm proud to say I wrote the whole thing myself and it was a therapeutic experience in the end.
"I'd love to get into motivational speaking and show people you can get through the worst things in life and make them the greatest things that ever happen.
"I look at what happened to me and it's given me all these awesome opportunities. It was the worst thing for so long and now it's one of the greatest things."
The Sharks look forward to hosting Cunningham at Saturday's game.
'Twice Before Twelve: A Journey Through Childhood Cancer' is available through all good online bookstores including Booktopia, Dymocks and Amazon.
To learn more or contact Angus, visit anguscunningham.com.au.
