An Example Of Faith And Courage
On the morning of Jan. 2, less than a week removed from seeing his vision for a community-wide event to raise money and awareness for pediatric brain cancer succeed beyond his wildest expectations, Sam Featherstone passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 19.
Sam’s more than three-year battle against medulloblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, inspired thousands both within and outside of the Tri-State community. After a mid-October 2012 MRI led doctors to conclude that there were no further treatment options for Sam, his complete focus turned toward raising funds and awareness for pediatric brain cancer research so that other young people and their families would not have to travel a similar to his.
From Sam’s desire to cripple the disease that ultimately crippled him physically, an incredibly successful fundraising effort was born. On Dec. 27 – a mere seven weeks after Sam posed the idea for such an event to his parents, Andy and Tammy Featherstone – more than 750 teens and adults gathered at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh (the Featherstones’ home parish) for “SamStrong: Search for the Cure.”
The initial target for the event, which included games, pizza and both silent and live auctions, was to raise $50,000 for pediatric brain cancer research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. When the final results are tallied, however, the total will be somewhere in excess of $200,000.
During the SamStrong event, Andy addressed the crowd and spoke about his son’s courage and determination, especially in the weeks leading up to his passing.
“An MRI at St. Jude revealed that Sam’s cancer had returned with a vengeance,” Andy explained with visible emotion. “At that point, Sam had no curative options; but he did have two emotional options. He could give up, or he could take this fight to the next level. The fact that we’re here tonight tells you that he did not give up.”
Throughout Sam’s journey, the Featherstones were supported in prayer by first hundreds and eventually thousands who followed Sam’s rollercoaster ride on a special Facebook page established by Tammy. In the hours after Sam’s passing, Facebook was flooded with posts containing reflections about Sam’s courage and spirit and offering words of support for his family. On Jan. 2 Tammy summed things up with an early morning post that simply read, “Sam is now walking cancer-free in heaven.”
During the Samstrong event, those in attendance were shown a video with excerpts from a November presentation that Sam made to students at Reitz Memorial High School, (from which he graduated as a valedictorian last spring). Sam’s message to the Memorial students was a simple one: Count your blessings, and have the courage to share those blessings.
“We all have the capability to make a difference in this world,” he told the Memorial students. “We just have to be bold enough to do so.”
A funeral will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Visitation is from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday at Titzer Family Funeral Home’s Simpson Chapel, 510 West Jennings St. in Newburgh and from 9 a.m. until service time at the church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Memorial High School, 1500 Lincoln Ave., where a scholarship fund will be established. The Sam Featherstone Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating Memorial senior who overcomes challenges to succeed in high school.
