WWW.THELEAVEN.COM | NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS | VOL. 33, NO. 14 NOVEMBER 4, 2011
THEY’VE GOT SPIRIT, YES, THEY DO . . .
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Family’s faith shines on the football field and through struggles
ENEXA — Scott Charpentier has seen the heartwarming stories. A coach puts a player with special needs into the game at the last minute. To everyone’s delight, the youngster scores the winning point — whether it be a basket, a touchdown, or whatever — and the crowd erupts in cheers. But Scott doesn’t believe his youngest son is “ever going to experience that.” For the simple reason that “he’s truly playing the sport.” Sam, who is a junior at St. James Academy in Lenexa, has Down syn-
Story by
Jessica Langdon Photos by
Susan McSpadden
drome. He’s a wide receiver for the school’s football team, with two seasons under his belt. Sam’s parents sometimes have to look for his jersey number to spot him when he’s in uniform. He’s just one of the guys. And that makes his face light up brighter than the stadium lights. In the stands, the faces of his parents — Scott and Jessie — are beaming as well. Sam can hear them cheering from the field. “Sammmmmmmmy!” he mimics, with a laugh. When he’s cheering for his team, though, you can’t miss him either. “He’s just always on the sideline
cheering everybody on, encouraging everybody,” said Jessie. “You can hear his voice!” He likes to get people pumped up. There’s a lot of that quality in his dad, too. Only Scott is just beginning to realize it. Since he was first diagnosed in January, Scott has been battling Stage IV cancer. As he fights his own illness, he has been boosting the spirits of fellow patients and living life to its fullest. And missing one of Sam’s games isn’t in this dad’s playbook. If Sam suits up for a game, Scott is sure to be in the bleachers. Story continues on page 8