Man with spina bifida to compete in handball world championships

Sam Armas had no idea how to play handball just a few months ago, and now he is preparing to compete in the Wheelchair Handball World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, starting today through Sept. 21.

Crazier things have happened to him — like becoming famous for a photo taken of him while he was still in utero. Born with spina bifida, Sam, 24, said his entire life is proof that everything works for good.

Sam’s mom, Julie, was 14 weeks pregnant with him, her first son, when she learned he had spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when a baby’s spine does not form normally. As a result, the spinal cord and nerves are exposed and often damaged.

“My parents tried to get pregnant for years, and when they finally did they were faced with all those unknowns,” said Sam Armas, of Villa Rica.

Julie and Alex, Armas’ dad, learned about an experimental fetal surgery for spina bifida being studied at Vanderbilt University. Performed while the child is in utero, the procedure closes the lesion and minimizes other issues, such as a Chiari malformation, a neurological disorder that causes hydrocephalus, an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain.

The Armases were approved for the operation and learned that USA Today wanted to cover the surgery because 21 weeks gestation was one of the earliest fetal surgeries ever conducted. After some hesitance, Julie agreed to allow a photographer into the operating room, which is how the Hand of Hope photo was captured.

During the surgery, the photographer, Michael Clancy, watched a tiny fist burst through an incision on Julie’s uterus. The hand flailed back and forth, then the surgeon grabbed it and the little hand, Sam’s hand, squeezed the surgeon’s finger. Clancy captured the remarkable moment, and the photo was featured on the cover of USA Today on Sept. 7, 1999 — the Hand of Hope.

The photo, recognized worldwide, has followed Sam Armas throughout his life. He learned of his fame when his elementary class Googled themselves, and he has garnered plenty of attention from anti-abortion groups who refer to the photo as evidence of life before birth. Last fall, while Armas was in Italy for a professional wheelchair basketball game, a reporter knew exactly who he was and asked to interview him about the Hand of Hope photo.

Armas learned how to walk at 21 months old and has worn braces on his lower legs to support his ankles ever since. He relies on a wheelchair for extended distances, like when he travels, and for sports. He grew up playing every sport he could. He tried wheelchair tennis and adaptive swimming, but his favorite sport as a child was baseball.

“It was able-bodied baseball, and I was a pitcher,” Armas said. “I didn’t throw any breaking pitches, but I threw heat. It was a lot of fun, but when I got to the point where I could hit the ball to the outfield and still get thrown out at first because I was running so slow, I moved on to wheelchair basketball.”

Armas played for BlazeSports America, adapted sports for youth and veterans, from grades 6 to 12. He loved wheelchair basketball so much that he narrowed his college search by schools with wheelchair basketball programs.

“I was recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Southwest Minnesota State, Mizzou and Illinois, but the visit to Auburn sold me,” Armas said. “The appeal of staying in the Southeast was nice, but it was also a very new program and I loved the coach’s vision for the team.”

Credit: Courtesy of Sam Armas

As Armas worked on his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration, he played five seasons of wheelchair basketball at Auburn. He also played wheelchair basketball for the under-23 USA team in the 2021-2022 season. He traveled to Phuket, Thailand, where the team won sixth place in the world championship.

He graduated with his master’s in May 2023 and began working for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, helping disabled people get employed. He would love to work for the federal government one day and has no plans of slowing down with sports.

Last fall he played professional wheelchair basketball for GSD Porto Torres in the Serie A Italian league. He is unsure who he will play for this upcoming season, but he has another sport to focus on in the meantime.

“Handball is a very pleasant surprise that occurred over the last few months,” Armas said. “One of the assistant coaches from Auburn, Ford Dyke, is the head coach of the U.S. wheelchair handball team. He knew I’d never played the sport, but he asked me to come try it out and I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Handball moves quickly. It’s essentially like soccer with your hands, Armas said, with a goal on each side of the court and four players from each team trying to get the ball in the net.

“I’m familiar with that throwing motion, kind of like pitching, and have taken to it quickly,” Armas said.

So quickly, in fact, that he made the final cut to make the U.S. team that will go to Egypt to compete in the World Championships. Joining him on the 10-person team are two other Georgians — Atlanta’s Elizabeth Pentecost and Lawrenceville’s Najee Smothers.

“I can’t wait to see the pyramids and museums,” Armas said. “I’m a history nerd, so seeing archaeological hieroglyphics, mummies and tombs would be so exciting. I feel fortunate and know only good things could come from an opportunity like this. Wheelchair basketball will always take priority, but I’m so excited to play handball and to go represent the USA in an international competition. Regardless of the sport you’re playing, it’s always a privilege to wear those three letters across your chest and compete.”

Armas said he often forgets he has a disability but never shies away from the conversation.

“What an awesome testament that God is always in control,” Armas said. “My start was not necessarily ideal, but look how it’s all worked out.”

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