MIDDLEBURY — Randy and Michelle Grewe have happily supported their 13-year-old son, Sam, as he excelled at school, at baseball, basketball and football.

Now, with heavy but hopeful hearts, they are supporting him through his fight against bone cancer.

And they aren’t alone in that battle. Friends, family, students and community members have rallied to make this family’s journey a little easier.

“I went from crying about Sam to tears of gratitude for the community’s outpouring of support,” Randy said. “It’s a very humbling experience. It’s still tough to say how I feel about the response.”

Sam’s story began during the first few weeks of the basketball season at Northridge Middle School.

He had just finished up a successful football season, sharing the most touchdowns scored with a teammate, and leading the team in yardage. With just one day’s break, he plunged right into basketball training — with one complaint — his knee hurt.

“Sam grew 5 1/2 inches since last year. We told him to tough it up,” Randy smiled. “It was just growing pains.”

However, the pain persisted. Sam played on, leading the team in scoring and rebounding.

Several trips to doctors, working with stretching and other exercises, as well as wearing a brace, were not making any improvement in Sam’s knee. A later X-ray showed that Sam might have bone cancer. Just days before Christmas, an MRI and a CT scan confirmed the Grewes’ fear. Sam had osteosarcoma, a cancer that usually affects the large bones of the arm or leg and often occurs in young people.

A battery of tests and a biopsy at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis set Sam up for rounds of chemotherapy. Surgery to remove the tumor is tentatively scheduled for March.

“I never thought we’d be learning so much about all this!” Randy said.

As friends and family found out, the support came pouring in.

“If we have any student in a crisis situation, we take it very seriously,” said Northridge Middle School Principal Robby Goodman. “I feel like we have a good plan in place to keep him up-to-date academically and to keep his spirits up.”

Although he missed more than seven days of school, was tired and had no appetite, straight-A student Sam scored 103 percent on a math test, earning him the highest grade in the his seventh-grade class.

“He’s impressed me so much,” Goodman said. “Just seeing and talking with him, you would never guess what he’s going through.”

His father couldn’t agree more.

“I can imagine what I would be like — livid — feeling sorry for myself,” Randy said. “But Sam is very competitive. He knows out on the field things aren’t always fair. After games he would talk to me about the unfair calls. Of course he’s upset about this, but he hasn’t complained at all.”

Support

Support for Sam and the Grewe family came through many avenues.

“We have meals brought to us three nights each week. People stop by all the time to offer help,” Randy said. “I don’t think we’ve paid for a tank of gas this year. And we have gift cards for restaurants. It’s really been amazing.”

Through various community connections, Sam has received several gifts including a game balls signed by Purdue University men’s and women’s basketballs teams. He has a photo of himself with former IU basketball coach Bobby Knight.

The Grewes, who have owned Old Hoosier Meats in Middlebury for the past eight years, have supplied steaks to the local American Legion Post 210 for its monthly fundraiser to support the troops, as well as Legion activities.

Last Friday, the Legion donated all the money from the dinner to Sam and his family.

“We usually sell them 125 steaks for their fundraiser,” Randy said. “For this we gave them 200 steaks. They sold out in an hour.”

Another fundraiser, including a silent auction, is scheduled at the American Legion on March 24.

A recent band concert at Northridge High School, where Sam’s sister Audrey is a sophomore, raised $500.

“Audrey has been so supportive of Sam’s cancer,” Michelle said. “She’s had to make adjustments to her life that she has done with class and maturity.”

Family friend Lisa Kirkton also wanted to support the Grewes in a big way.

“The ideas just started coming to me,” Kirkton said.