LEWISBERRY, Pa. — Red Land basketball's biggest fan is Adley French. At three years old, he dreams to play on the team his big brother Anderson plays on.
"[I] got to eat a couple more foods so I can get even taller," Adely said, smiling. "Anderson is even taller, taller than me right now!"
Nicknamed Hammer, Anderson is a force on the court and to Adley, he is a hero.
To Anderson though, his inspiration comes from his youngest brother.
"He is fighting 24 hours every day. It's something bigger than basketball obviously," Anderson said when asked how much his little brother means to him.
"To see that a two-year-old could fight that hard all the time. It definitely is very inspiring," he continued.
Diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor or ATRT brain cancer, Adley, the youngest of four brothers, has a fight on his hands.
ATRT is a very rare, fast-growing tumor that begins in the brain and spinal cord. Its outlook is bleak, even more of a reason for the French's to fight.
A fight, Adley's father, Tad, says they are ready for.
"We are pretty tenacious as a group, Adley is no different. He is fighting with a grin every day," he told FOX43.
Adley's mother, Cristy French, is grateful for not only the support of the Red Land basketball team but the entire community.
"It is overwhelming. It's hard to put into words how much it means to us that we are not doing that alone. There is always someone thinking of us, praying for us, supporting us, [and] thinking what they can do to help our family be successful in that fight," she said.
Enlisted in their fight is the Red Land basketball team, the unit: Adley's Army.
Earlier this season while undergoing treatment at Penn State Health Children's Hospital, the Patriots decided they needed to visit their general.
"My message to the boys is this is our biggest fan, let's be his biggest fan right now," said Red Land's basketball head coach, Mike Mehaffey. "We got off the bus with their posters in the air and cheered him on as he fights this battle. The smile on his face meant the world to us."
Anderson concurs with his coach on how much this trip meant.
"It means the world, honestly. These guys are my classmates, peers [and] teammates. We fight every day on the court together, go to battle with all of them, it means a lot to know that they have my back and my family's back and, obviously Adley's back in this tough battle," he said.
Off the busses, armed with signs and motivation for Adley, he and Tad waited in the lobby up against the glass.
It was a moment for the team to uplift one of their own, as Adley fights a disease hand-in-hand with teammates and his family.
"For his parents, you could imagine that was a really special moment for a young man who might never get the chance to play sports or to wear French on his jersey," said Tad, "It sure meant a lot to us."
Why was this important? Adley couldn't watch basketball like he wanted to.
His diagnosis in November snapped the game away and put him on the sideline, with no chance to watch his big brother Anderson play the game he dreams about.
"[I need to] eat some more foods so I can get bigger," Adley explained. "So I can get some more muscles, right now I have just these muscles but if I get to be even bigger then I'll be even bigger!"
One brisk Wednesday night in January, Red Land traveled to Lower Dauphin. During the pregame, there were whispers of something big to come.
The Patriots didn't start the game off right but, then, something changed.
With an army of fans in the stands and anticipation, Adley made his first appearance of the season, running into the gym.
His dad knows how much this night meant.
"Just to see his brothers and hear all the people, it is overwhelming for Adley. He thinks this is like going to an Aerosmith concert or something! This is as big as it gets," he told FOX43.
"Immediately seeing him, you just see everyone's head lift up," Anderson explained. "That surprise like, 'Oh my gosh, he is actually here, it is really exciting for the whole team.'"
His smile and eyes are infectious as Adley lights a spark in the Patriots.
Down ten points in the second half, Red Land, with the soldiers of Adley's Army behind them, found their spark.
Anderson, the Hammer, helped lead the way.
And with Adley's name on his shoes, and under 30 seconds left, Elijah Espinosa tied the game.
Mason Weaver then steps to the line to make 45-44 Red Land. It's Anderson who seals the game with a defensive rebound as he lets out his emotion.
An improbable comeback with Adley in attendance, like something out of a Hollywood movie... but better.
"I don't think Hollywood could write a better script, a comeback win at the end it doesn't get any bigger than that," said Cristy.
For Anderson, it was a moment for the guys to show little Adley what can be done.
"To come through that adversity and kind of show him it's possible that you can do. [That] this is something that you can beat," he said.
It was an unlikely victory on the scoreboard, but now, we wait for one more, a more important one.
Adley's Army is ready to continue the fight. So is Adley, because he isn't scared of any challenge, "Pfff, no I'm not afraid, just a little afraid of the dark."
