PITTSBURGH — Friday night when the Montour Spartan prepares for battle with Chartiers Valley, they will not only look to move on to a 3-0 record, but they will take a stand for one of their own.
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Charlie Rowe, 4, suffers from alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer. Charlie was diagnosed with the disease when he was just 2.
The “Champions for Charlie” campaign isn’t new to the Montour High School community. Previously, the Spartans made Rowe an honorary member of the football team and everyone on the team autographed his helmet.
“There have been a lot of ups and downs,” said Natalie Rowe, Charlie’s mother. “When Charlie was diagnosed, it was shocking and we dealt with it the best we know how.”
Rowe works as a special education teacher at Montour High School, but she now dedicates much of her time to Charlie.
Since Charlie’s diagnosis, members of the community have gathered around this family to help raise awareness for the disease.
“It is nice to have so much support from everyone,” Natalie Rowe said. “Everyone in our community has done something to help us.”
That support hasn’t been slowing down.
To support their teacher and the honorary Spartan, students at Montour are dressing up as Spartan superheroes and will "go gold" for the big game as the football team looks for its third win in a row.
“We will be participating in activities and fundraisers this month to show the Rowe family that they are not alone in this fight,” said Rhonda Marasco, a teacher at Montour High School.
The Rowe family plans to bring Charlie out to the game if he is feeling better.