17-Year-Old Fruitdale Baseball Player, Sid Hobbs Dies After Fighting Seven Battles With Cancer, Leaving Parents John and Elizabeth Devastated
From diagnosis at age 2 to 17, Sid Hobbs’ life was marked by resilience and inspiration.
November 19, 2026
This article was last updated by Alisha Shrestha on November 19, 2026
The Fruitdale community is mourning the death of 17-year-old Sid Hobbs, a beloved athlete, student, and fighter whose extraordinary courage carried him through seven battles with cancer.
Sid on Tuesday morning, November 18, 2026, ending a 16-year journey that inspired thousands across Alabama and beyond.
His family announced his passing through the SidStrong Facebook page, writing,
“This morning our warrior finished his final battle! After 16 years of battles, he has been given his complete healing… He was a friend, a hero and now a Legend! Forever SIDSTRONG!”
Sid’s cancer battle began on March 15, 2010, when doctors diagnosed him—at only 2 years old—with an ependymoma brain tumor at the USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Mobile.
Surgeons removed the tumor in an emergency procedure, and although he was just a toddler, his fight had already begun.
Despite everything he endured, Sid discovered joy early in life through sports.
By age 4, he began playing organized football and baseball, launching a passion that grew into a defining part of his identity.
For seven years, Sid lived cancer-free. But the disease in July 2017, marking the beginning of a series of battles that would continue for the rest of his life.
Between 2017 and 2026, doctors found multiple tumors, performed seven surgeries, and delivered more than 60 rounds of radiation. Still, Sid refused to let cancer steal his joy.
His family remembers that he laughed, joked, and stayed positive, even on the hardest days.
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Athletics became Sid’s refuge, and his resilience showed on the baseball field.
In his final season at Fruitdale High School last spring, he hit an impressive .444, posted a .681 on-base percentage, and stole 15 bases, earning a spot on the All-Washington County baseball team.
His father, John Hobbs—also his baseball coach—said Sid leaned on the sport for strength:
“Playing the game is most important to him. It’s been his go-to since he was 2. This time, when he got the diagnosis, it was an easy mindset for him. ‘Let’s play some baseball and not worry about what we can’t control.’”
Even as treatment options became limited, Sid approached every obstacle with determination.
Last summer, he participated in Optune device therapy, hoping that electrical fields could slow the aggressive cancer growth.
Through it all, his mother Elizabeth marveled at his spirit:
“When you sit back and watch him go through this and see how he reacts and how positive his attitude continues to be … I don’t know how he does it.”
Sid held one major lifelong dream—to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.
Knowing how precious time had become, the Hobbs family committed to making it happen.
Together, they traveled across the country, and by July 2026, they completed the SIDSTRONG Ballpark Tour, finishing at Target Field in Minneapolis.
He also attended the MLB Home Run Derby in Atlanta, checking off yet another wish on his list.
Family members say the journey brought Sid joy during some of his most difficult months.
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Sid’s death has left a deep wound among family, friends, and supporters who followed his journey for more than a decade.
His father, John Hobbs, shared in his grief:
“He has taught me so many lessons about humility, perseverance, kindness, forgiveness, love and so many other things… Joy isn’t determined by your circumstances, it’s determined by your relationships, first with Christ then with others.”
Sid’s cousin, Creighton Hobbs, him as a fighter who “laughed, joked, smiled, and made everyone around him feel lighter,” even during the toughest days.
Community members, including Jason Stringer, echoed those sentiments, calling Sid a young man who “faced the challenges placed in front of him head on… with an unshakable faith.”
Sid’s courage also earned statewide recognition. In June, the Alabama Sports Writers Association honored him with the Jimmy Smothers Courage Award, celebrating the strength he showed throughout his life.
Though only 17, Sid Hobbs lived with a depth of strength and faith that touched everyone he met.
He inspired classmates, athletes, pastors, coaches, and thousands who followed his story online.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
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