Faceoff Factor

It's All About Perspective

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

May 12, 02:30 PM | Hype this story!

John Challis is a teenager fulfilling his wildest dreams.

He and his family had a limousine ride to Mellon Arena yesterday where the spent the first intermission of the Penguins versus Flyers game in Mario Lemieux’s private box.

“My head is spinning,” he said to Mike White in a spectacular Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.

Not only did he meet Lemieux, but he was introduced to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who invited the teen to practice this week; Steelers owner Dan Rooney; Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz; and Sidney Crosby’s father Troy.

That’s not even mentioning his air time on Versus and ESPN; his coverage in the Post-Gazette, ESPN The Magazine, and countless other publications; his plans to fly in a private jet to Boston for a Red Sox game and to Orlando, where he will depart for a cruise this summer; and his personal invitation by pitcher Mark Hendrickson to attend a Florida Marlins game later this month.

There’s just one catch. Challis has terminal cancer in his liver and lungs.

But that won’t stop the Beaver County resident from smiling. “Life ain’t about how many breaths you take. It’s what you do with those breaths.”

Talk about mature words from such a young individual.

It’s stories like this that really put into perspective the idea of sports and competition.

Fans and athletes often get caught up in winning and winning alone, harping about bad plays, bad players and bad losses, but the true importance of a sporting event is trivial at best, and Challis’ story proves this.

Lemieux understands this, but far too few fans and athletes do.

So I challenge fans to learn from this young man and to realize that sports are sports — they aren’t life.

And, in the words of Challis: “Live life to the best you can every day and be positive.”