MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa. — Sophomore Mayson Girton was playing linebacker for the Crestwood High School JV squad last September.
A seemingly routine play would change his life forever.
"The running back was going to the outside on a run play, and then I just tackled him, and I came down hard, and my knee felt like it just, it started hurting real bad," Mayson said.
"It was just kind of the common football injury. Rolled up on with the knee, and you really don't think much of it other than, let's get him off the field, get him cared for by the trainer, and move on," added Ryan Arcangeli, head football coach.
Mayson worked with the trainers for days, then weeks, but the pain wasn't going away.
Chasity Girton says her son was begging to see a doctor.
"After six weeks, Mayson was still complaining, 'My knee is hurting. This is not working, there's something wrong,'" she said.
An MRI and a series of tests revealed the unthinkable, a tumor.
"They called us in to tell us that Mayson had an extreme rare form of cancer called Myxoid Liposarcoma," Chasity explained.
"I was in shock, in shambles. I was just worried that this would ruin everything, that I wouldn't be able to do the things I wanted in life," Mayson said.
"I was crushing, being that I was a cancer survivor," Chasity added. "I tried to be strong for Mayson and not break down. At that moment, I wanted to crumble."
Early this month, Mayson underwent surgery to remove the tumor.
Leaving the operating room, he had just one thing on his mind.
"Where's my parents, and when can I play football," Mayson said.
Mayson learns this week if he will need further treatment, but he's determined to push on.
Local businesses, school districts, and the community have banded together in support.
Mayson received a standing ovation during Comets For a Cure night.
Proceeds from the raffles, food sales, and tickets to the basketball games benefit Girton's family and give him a lift.
"It just makes my heart smile. It's making my son's spirits go up," Chasity said.
"It's just been an outpouring of support. We can't thank everybody enough," Arcangeli said.
Chasity says if it wasn't for that one play, they would have never known.
"I am so thankful for this injury and that this was found. The outlook if we hadn't found this early is not a good prognosis," she said.
Mayson is recovering and looking forward to suiting up for Crestwood High again.
"Always keep your hopes up, keep positive, because in the end, there's a bright side of the tunnel," he said.
He hopes to run out of that tunnel and back onto the field.
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