Raise A Glass Tonight For John Challis

John Challis, the Freedom High School student whose story we have followed here through an excellent series of articles in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, succumbed to liver and lung cancer on Tuesday at his family's home in Freedom Township, PA, at the age of 18. John first made headlines earlier this year when his baseball coach inserted him into the lineup for one final at-bat, and even though barely able to walk, let alone run, he got a single. In getting to know him a little, we have been inspired by his indomitable spirit, his sense of humor, and his perspective on life. We learned two very important things from John Challis. Number one: "You can't let girls know that you know how to text message because they won't leave you alone." And number two: "I used to be afraid, but I'm not afraid of dying now, if that's what you want to know. Because life ain't about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those breaths."

Freedom Teenager John Challis Dies Of Cancer [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]