Cancer patient gets haircut, badge and lots of support

It started out with a simple request: James Lamb Jr. wanted a haircut.

While most 19-year-olds are able to meet that need on their own, James is a special case.

Born with a congenital disorder that left him paralyzed from the waist down, James was diagnosed with an aggressive soft tissue cancer 18 months ago which has spread throughout his body and now surrounds his heart and kidneys.

James lost his hair to chemotherapy, but had been off the treatment long enough that his blond hair grew back dark and wavy and he didn't like the way he looked.

That's when Barton Hospice Chaplain Willis Broughton entered the picture.

She learned from conversations with James that his life's dream was to be a police officer or in the military.

In a matter of hours Broughton arranged for James to have his dreams come true on Sunday.

Changes salon owner Vicky Sunseri agreed to open her Gardnerville shop to James and his family.

James had no idea what else Broughton had in store.

She arranged with Douglas County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Biaggini for the teenager to have a ride-along in a patrol vehicle.

And Sheriff Ron Pierini would be on hand to make James a deputy, complete with badge and certificate of appointment.

But the surprise which seemed to overwhelm him the most was the presence of at least two dozen Douglas High School football players, cheerleaders and Block D members on hand to help James celebrate his special day.

On Tuesday, James said he was tired from the outing, but so grateful to see his friends.

"I had a blast," he said. "It was very warming to see all my friends for another time. It meant everything in the word to me that they were there."

"The team is his life," said Shaw Lamb, James' mother. "We never expected anything like this, it's so amazing."

The celebration included a chocolate birthday cake and food from Taco John's and a blessing by Carson Valley United Methodist Church Pastor Pete Nelson.

James, a 2007 graduate of Douglas High School, turned 19 on June 3.

"For someone who's never been to a birthday party or a sleep-over because of access issues, these guys are amazing," Shaw Lamb said.

Pierini spoke emotionally of the teenager's dreams as he presented him with a certificate of appointment and badge.

"Before I give this to anybody who comes in my department I want to make sure it's something you care about and want to become," Pierini said.

As his father pinned on the deputy badge, James said he wanted to make sure there were doctors standing by in case his father poked him.

"This is usually the longest part of the ceremony," Pierini said, as James' dad struggled with the pin.

The football players hoisted James' wheelchair up a few steps to the salon where Sunseri was waiting.

"It's an honor to be doing this," she said. "It's a great thing."

She spent about 30 minutes on the haircut while the football players and cheerleaders looked on.

James talked football with his friends.

"We're going to the championship this year," he said to wild cheers and applause.

James left a $2 tip for Sunseri who tried to return it.

"The haircut is free," she told his father, James Lamb Sr.

"He asked me for $2 because he wanted to tip you," Lamb said. "That's the way he was raised."

James took some good-natured ribbing for wearing a red shirt instead of Tiger orange.

"Give me a break," he told the athletes. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

The Tigers - many of them sleep-deprived from participating all night at the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser at Lampe Park - needed no coaxing to show up for James whose been a fixture on the sidelines.

"James is at a lot of our games," said quarterback David Laird, 17. "We support him and we're proud of the way he supports us. He helps motivate us in our games with the amount of heart he has.

"We get tired or hot during conditioning and we just think about him and how he would give anything to get an opportunity to make one play," Laird said.

Cheerleader Seanna Drew, 16, had tears in her eyes.

"He's a big part of Douglas athletics," she said. "We see his strength and it gets us going. Everyone appreciates him with so much love that he was part of our school and always part of our team, no matter what."

James Lamb Sr. sported a 3-inch tattoo of a cross on his right arm, with "Jamie" written below.

James had been pronounced cancer-free late last year, but the disease returned in April.

"He was in the hospital three or four weeks ago and I was pretty sad," Lamb said. "He drew me a cross and cut it out. We were in San Francisco and I went down to Haight-Ashbury and got an exact tattoo. It's my first one. Jamie couldn't believe it."

The Lambs were overwhelmed by the support for their son.

"This is his wildest dream come true," Lamb said. "He's never been told he couldn't do something. If he could have wished anything, this is it. I don't know if everybody here will ever know what it means to him. It's his wish of wishes."

The football players surrounded their friend for about 15 minutes after James called for a "private team meeting" with assistant coach Ernie Monfiletto who was on hand with his wife Jill.

Some of the athletes wiped away tears as they embraced James.

By 3 p.m., he was tired and ready to go home and his father lifted him from the wheelchair to the front seat of the sheriff's SUV for a final ride.

James waved and pumped his fist three times with a hearty "DHS!" which the players and cheerleaders returned.

"Till next time," someone called as Capt. Biaggini pulled out of the parking lot with a short burst of the siren. "See you later, buddy."