Centennial Teacher Named Hometown Hero

Published May 11, 2018

A shocking lung cancer diagnosis didn’t keep Centennial High College, Career and Technical Education Teacher Stephen Huff down for long, and his work toward finding a cure made Darrell Waltrip Automotive name him a Hometown Hero.

Hometown Hero is a monthly event honoring those making a difference in their community. In the past, heroes have been community teachers, veterans, police officers and more.

Huff, who was not a smoker, was diagnosed with Stage IV inoperable lung cancer in the summer of 2017. He showed almost no symptoms that anything was wrong until he went to the doctor for a cough and was told he had bronchitis. Later, a hard lump appeared in his neck and he asked for a CT scan. The next day, he was referred to an oncologist.

Since his diagnosis, Huff and his wife, Emily, created the Huff Project. Their goal is to raise awareness about lung cancer, destroy the negative stigmas that come along with it and invest in researching new treatment options in order to create as many survivors as possible.

Huff not only received local recognition for being named a Hometown Hero, he also received a trophy and $500 to donate to the charity of his choice.

“What an honor it is to even be considered for this award, let alone be chosen,” Huff said. “I would also like to extend a very special thank you to my administrators and fellow teachers at Centennial High School, as well as the entire WCS CCTE Department. Thank you for being a huge support system to my wife Emily and I as we’re committed to our fight against cancer.”