Corey Cain met Zach Harris on the first day of kindergarten.

“I was nervous about my first day of school, and you need that one friend,” Cain said. “And you start to click.”

Up until high school, the two always watched wrestling on Monday nights.

“We don’t see each other every day, but we make time to see each other,” Cain said. “If we can’t see each other, we’ll have full conversations through texting.”

On Monday and Tuesday, Cain sat with Harris at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center where Harris is undergoing chemotherapy.

USI student Zach Harris was admitted to Deaconess Hospital last weekend where, after some testing, he found out he had leukemia. He was transferred to Vanderbilt because of his declining health.

According to the Facebook page, “Stay Strong Zach Strong,” Harris has had problems with clothing, which lead to internal bleeding in his head and torso.

“He’s been in and out of confusion (because of his brain swelling),” Cain said.

Despite his condition, Harris remains optimistic, Cain said.

“He’s been through a lot medically. Not much gets to him,” Cain said.

Harris was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) when he was a child.

“He doesn’t let it affect him,” Cain said. “He can do everything that you and I do – except with his legs. He still plays games. It may not be the best reaction – as you and me – but he still does it.”

Despite being unable to use his legs, Harris does so much.

“You could write a book about him with all the things he’s done,” Cain said.

None of the doctors know how his CP will affect him and his treatment, Cain said.

“He will probably just see this as another obstacle he can overcome. He’s a fighter,” he said.

Harris, who is a sophomore radio and television major, announces for several of the sports activities.

The Edge radio crew found out in between the men’s and women’s game about Harris’s condition.

“We were all so pumped for the game, but then we got the news,” said Michael Roberston, one of the basketball broadcasters for The Edge. “We all realized it’s just a game. There are bigger things out there besides a game.”

Robertson said Harris is the type of person who is always there.

“If you weren’t excited for a game, (Harris) made you excited,” Roberston said. “He is so motivational.”

Harris cares for a lot of people.

“If there’s a cause that needs help, he’s there,” said Olivia Scott, one of Harris’s friends since middle school.

Scott created the Facebook page for Zach around 5 p.m. Monday – 24 hours later, that page has more than 2,500 “likes.”

“I’m the kind of person who has to stay busy,” she said. “I just can’t think about it. I’m so torn up about it.”

Scott is also organizing a fundraiser at Hacienda Restaurant. Hacienda will give 20 percent of the sales to Harris and his family.

“It’s very expensive for the family,” Scott said. “They have gas, meals and eventually medical bills to pay.”

Harris’s dad and his caregiver want to stay at the hospital house, but the waiting list is two weeks, Scott said.

“Hotels are so expensive there – it’s like $130 a night,” she said. “His dad and his caregiver have taken turns sleeping on the floor and the bed.”

“He’s got a very long, hard battle for this ugly thing,” Scott said.

Scott plans to visit Vanderbilt every other weekend starting with this weekend, and if anyone wants to send Harris notes or cards, she can take them to him. The best way to reach her is through the Facebook group for Harris, she said.