It's no secret youth sports provides a venue to teach children about sportsmanship, teamwork and fair play. but on coach Ty Lewis' U-16 soccer team, the message is more serious.
Play every game like it's your last.
Lewis, 44, is battling stage 4 colon cancer. he hopes his message will leave a lasting impression of the Reston Knights FC, who are competing in the Youth Soccer National League.
According to the American Cancer Society, stage 4 colon cancer is when the cancer has spread to from the colon to distant organs, such as the liver and lungs. although surgery and chemotherapy are common treatments for stage 4 colon cancer, they are unlikely to cure a person afflicted with the illness.
"I wake up and live everyday like it's my last," he said. "so I tell them to go out there and play every day like it's their last game."
His creed has resonated with his players — on and off the field.
"the kids see him as a positive influence even though he is suffering from the cancer," said Tak Lee, father of goalkeeper Ben Lee. "Ty has a healthy outlook toward life and the kids respond to it."
A Reston native, Lewis grew up playing soccer in area youth leagues before playing on the South Lakes High School varsity team for four years. after he graduated from South Lakes in 1984, he played for Atlantic Christian College in Wilson, N.C. which competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Following college, he married Shannon Perez and the couple had two children, Samantha, 19, and Christopher, 16. Lewis then took a job with Presidium Inc., in Reston where he works as a human resources administrator to this day.
When his kids developed an interest in soccer, Lewis transitioned to a coaching role.
In 1994, he began coaching with the Reston Youth Association and eventually took over the Reston Knights FC in 2005, the squad Christopher plays for.
Lewis' coaching career brought him back to South Lakes in 2007, where he took over the varsity team as head coach.
Following the spring season, a routine doctor's appointment in September before a colonoscopy put his passion for the sport in jeopardy.
"I was just having some symptoms and went in for a colonoscopy," he said. "It turned out that I had colon cancer and it had spread to my liver."
Lewis said he could have given up coaching and decided to focus solely on beating the cancer, but the call of the pitch was too hard to tune out.
For Lewis, giving up on soccer would mean giving up on life.
"I've got to live my life," he said. "I don't want to lay around, get sicker and feel sorry for myself."
While undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy in 2008, Lewis continued to coach the Knights.
After his first liver resection, a surgical procedure to remove a portion of his liver, in spring 2008, he decided to travel with the team to a tournament while recovering from the procedure.
"I was at a tournament and we won it. I was handing out trophies and a guy walked up to me and took the trophy from my hand," Lewis said. "he said, 'Son, you can't be doing this.' It turned out, it was my surgeon. His daughter was playing a few fields away and he could hear me yelling. he couldn't believe I was out there."
Being on the soccer field when he should be in a hospital bed has become Lewis' trademark.
"in some ways, soccer is keeping him alive," Lee said.
As Lewis continued with treatments, he coached the Knights to a Virginia State Cup finals appearance in 2008. the following year they won the title and successfully defended it in 2010.
In that time, Lewis had three surgeries, chemotherapy and participated in numerous clinical trials. according to Lewis, only a "stubborn" pocket of cancer remains in what is left of his liver.
"My condition is stable right now," he said. "right now I'm going to give my body a chance to recover and not feel sick all the time from the chemotherapy."
The coach said he frequently coaches despite his illness and only has missed a "week or two" of practice after recovering from surgeries. when he cannot make practices, he asks the assistant coaches and parents lend a hand, but those days are rare events.
"You're going to have bad days where you want to give up, but you can't give up that quick," Lewis said. "I just try to put that fighting spirit in my boys."
Christopher said his teammates respond to seeing his dad attend practice even when he's going through his roughest patches. Winning games is no longer about the final score, but rather showing their coach that they appreciate his presences and understand his pain.
"I play better knowing that it might be the last game he ever watches me play," Christopher said.
First-year striker James Paredas, 16, added: "I've gained a lot of respect for coach Ty for coming out to coach us. he dedicates a lot of time to us and he taught me to keep fighting for my family and myself."
Even though some days are too tough for him to coach, Lewis said that just showing up or letting the kids know he will return is enough to help drive home his message to his young players.
"the kids learn that you can't throw in the towel," he said. "you can't give up; you can't run away from your problems."
As his team conditions for another state cup run, Lewis said it's not the awards that motivate him to show up to the soccer field each day, but rather the chance to coach his second family.
"all my boys are my family and I really look forward to going out there and teaching them things," he said. "People tell me they play beautiful soccer and that's a huge compliment. I just want to be able to watch them play."