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NAPOLEONVILLE (AP) — Assumption High School junior football player Tyran Cassie remembers the day when he first witnessed the toughness of Armond “Ziggy” Landry.
The two young athletes were at a Napoleonville Middle School football practice years ago when Cassie watched Landry, who played receiver and safety, try to make a play.
“I saw that he had got hit by one of the older guys,” Cassie said. “He got kind of shaken up. I saw how he got right back up with a smile on his face. When I saw that, I knew how tough he was.”
Cassie said it was that strength, determination and a positive outlook on life that Landry would become “Ziggy Famous” for over the next few years of his life as he battled an aggressive form of leukemia.
Landry, a Belle Rose native who would have graduated from Assumption this year, battled cancer for the last three years before his death at age 18 on Dec. 26.
During his entire battle with cancer, Assumption’s students and the community rallied around Landry and his family in support.
They raised money, came together for prayer at school and wore the color orange at functions and athletic events to raise awareness for leukemia.
Cassie said it was hard for everyone at Assumption to say goodbye to Landry, who is the son of Dominique Landry-White and Terrance White.
“His death was a tough loss for everybody. The whole parish felt that one,” Cassie said.
“He inspired all of us really to just keep fighting. He just motivated us every game. I always wear orange with my jersey.”
Shawn Preston, who was Landry’s principal at Napoleonville Middle, said cancer may have ravaged the young man’s body but it never broke his spirit.
“He was scrappy as an athlete,” Preston said. “He scrapped for everything he did on the field. He multiplied that with his fight against cancer. If you didn’t know that he had cancer, you wouldn’t because you never saw him frown or complain about it. He was your typical fun-loving person. He was always smiling. He was one of those students that you enjoy coming to school to mentor.”
Many of Landry’s classmates said they will remember him for being a sociable person who loved having fun at school and events like dances and games.
“He was an everybody person,” Cassie said. “If you had a party, he was going to be there.”
Assumption junior volleyball and basketball player Ra’von Robertson, a standout in both sports, said Landry simply loved being around people.
“He was always very friendly and funny,” Robertson said. “He was very popular and he knew everybody. When he got diagnosed with cancer, he still was that same person. I’ve never really seen Ziggy frown or sad. He always kept his head up.”
Assumption senior football and basketball player Joshua Ratcliff said he grew up going to school with Landry in Belle Rose. When Landry transferred from Belle Rose Middle to rival Napoleonville Middle, Ratcliff said they played against each other but remained good friends.
“It was really sad because he was one of my close friends,” Ratcliff said. “I grew up with him and played ball with him. He always had a good heart. He always liked to dance. He kept me happy. He was just a positive person.”
Assumption senior football player Shawn Hall Jr. recalled meeting Landry when they were seventh graders at Napoleonville Middle. Hall said he had just moved from Lutcher and didn’t have many friends until he met Landry.
“He was the first friend I had besides the kids I played football with. We were kind of close,” Hall said. “Ziggy motivated a lot of people. He was always happy and smiling. It just shows you no matter what you’re going through, somebody is always going to have it worse.”
Dominique Landry-White, Ziggy’s mother, said her son competed in football and track and field, but his true love was basketball.
“Basketball was his thing,” Landry-White said. “He and his uncles loved basketball. His dad played at Assumption.”
Ziggy wanted to continue his family’s basketball legacy as a freshman at Assumption in 2015. He was getting ready to attend tryouts for Assumption’s basketball team, but three weeks into the school year, he was diagnosed with cancer.
“He was very upset about not getting to play basketball,” Landry-White said. “They had tryouts the day after he was diagnosed in his freshman year. He missed out on basketball. That hurt me for a while. When he was first diagnosed, I cried about that a lot because it was hard to see him want to play knowing that he couldn’t.”
Although Ziggy couldn’t play, it inspired other Assumption athletes.
“He made me play hard because it showed that everybody doesn’t get this opportunity to do what I’m doing.” Hall said. “
Everybody doesn’t get a chance to put on a jersey and go out there and have fun.”
After his diagnosis, Ziggy received treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. When his health allowed it, Landry-White said Ziggy got to play basketball, but he would have to stop every 3-5 minutes to catch his breath and use his asthma pump in order to play longer.
Although it caused him pain, Landry-White said Ziggy got comfort from playing basketball.
“We would have to give him that pain medicine and he would lay down and take a nap, but he’ll do it again the next day,” Landry-White said. “For him, it had nothing to do with the pain. It was having that fulfillment of being able to play basketball.”
Ziggy got to travel to Los Angeles to attend an NBA game during Easter break last year thanks to a trip sponsored by the Louisiana State Police Troop C’s Grant-A-Wish program.
He attended a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers and watched from courtside seats.
He also got to walk on the court and meet many of the players before the game.
“He was really excited. That really brought joy to him,” she said. “I’m so appreciative of them because that trip meant a lot to him. He was actually able to go on a NBA court and shake these guys’ hands and take pictures.”
Landry-White said Ziggy remained upbeat and optimistic throughout his cancer battle. It went into remission for a short period before the family discovered it came back last February.
Despite his health taking a turn for the worse in recent months, she said Ziggy kept his faith in God.
“Every time he got a negative report, he was still ‘I’m good,’” Landry-White said. “He would look at me and say ‘Mom, where we’re going eat at?’ It was never ‘I’m so sad. I’m so down.’ He would never let this sickness get him down. He did that to the very end.”
Since her son’s diagnosis, Landry-White said she used social media websites like Facebook to keep the community updated on Ziggy’s health. She posted many videos and photos to inspire the community, using it as a testimony to share Ziggy’s story.
The “Team Ziggy” Facebook page has over 5,000 followers who often posted, and still post, messages of support and encouragement.
“The amount of support that we got from this parish and this school these past few years is unbelievable,” Landry-White said. “I’m thankful and grateful. I pray for everybody who has been there for us. They truly gave us something even though we were giving them something too. They gave us more because we couldn’t do this by ourselves. It means a lot when you know you have support.”
Preston said it was incredible to see everyone rally together and support Ziggy and his family. Hundreds showed up at his funeral to celebrate his life.
“We have a small community,” Preston said. “We don’t have many things that take place here that bring the whole community together. He was one that did that. I can’t remember something that has brought the whole community together like his journey has. He definitely inspired kids, not just from this area, but he inspired kids from all over the country because his mom was just so unselfish with his journey. It was a real eye-opener for everyone to see.”
Preston also commended Ziggy’s parents for being there every step of the way.
“His parents were awesome during this whole process,” Preston said. “They were very strong and very knowledgeable of what was going on. I don’t know if I could have ever handled the situation the way they did. I told them at the funeral I was very proud of them in the way they handled his journey and supported him because everybody can’t be that strong.”
Jessica Thibodeaux, who is Assumption’s supervisor for curriculum and instruction, said Ziggy made a tremendous impact on the lives of everyone he touched.
“What he has done in his life has been unbelievable, both as a student and through his cancer treatments,” Thibodeaux said. “What he’s done for others is just a power of his positive attitude and his faith in God. His spirit has been transformational for our community and to a lot of people through social media who have followed his story.”
Many of Assumption’s athletes said they will continue to play for Ziggy.
“He inspired me. It motivated me a lot because it could’ve been anybody,” Ratcliff said. “We play for him every day. We’re going to continue playing for Ziggy and keep his memory alive. He gave it a hard fight. He’s a solider.”
“We just have to keep pushing and fighting,” Cassie said. “Some people don’t really get the chances that we do around here like come to school and play sports. He just kept fighting and we’re going to keep fighting too.”
Hall, a Nicholls State University football commit, said Ziggy always asked him when he was going to sign his national letter-of-intent because he wanted to attend the signing ceremony.
Hall said he plans to honor his friend when he signs on National Signing Day in February.
“I was looking to make a poster with his picture on it and use it as a backdrop for when I sign in his memory because I know he wanted to be there,” Hall said. “I’m going to always play in his memory. He wouldn’t want anybody else to be sad. He wasn’t that kind of person, so I’m just going to go out there and have fun because I know that’s what he would want.”
Robertson said Ziggy’s spirit and legacy will last forever at Assumption.
“He inspired a lot of people here,” Robertson said. “It’s sad to see him gone. Everybody knew Ziggy was sick but we never really imagined him passing. That was the hard part about it. It would’ve been nice to see him graduate with his class in May, but God had other plans. We have to keep going forward and doing everything we can for Ziggy.”