Joyful Crowd Celebrates Superhero Boy's Leukemia Victory: Photos

GREENPORT, NY — Captain America and Superman teamed up with a group of children for a spirited soccer game led by the biggest superhero of them all — a little boy who battled leukemia for three years and emerged successful.

Sam, 7, recently finished three years of battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia; he had his port removed Tuesday.

To help mark the milestone, a crowd of loving supporters turned out for "Sam's Celebration," a potluck Monday at the 5th Street beach in Greenport. At the event, North Fork United Soccer coach Rafael and friends played with the kids, and musician Brady Rymer kept the crowd, many in superhero costumes, dancing.

Sam's mom, Holly Lanzetta, was filled with joyful emotion as she addressed the crowd. She thanked Greenport Trustee Doug Roberts and his wife Mary for helping to secure the location.

She thanked the hundreds who have helped Sam through his fight. "So many in this community have come out, and really saved Sam and me through this whole journey. It's emotional to be here, but really good," she said.

Scores came together to make the event a reality, she said. "Every single one of the people here has done something publicly, or not. I can't thank this community enough, Greenport and Southold," Lanzetta said.

Throughout the night, Sam's smiling face was a beacon of light for the many who happily watched him eating ice cream, playing soccer, and having fun with his friends — all the things a little boy should be doing on a beautiful summer night.

The idea was born to help other children early on in her son's experience with leukemia, Lanzetta said.

"Three years ago when we were going to do the head shaving event at First and South" — the event benefited the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and many wore superhero costumes, per Sam's wish — "I was talking to Sam at the cancer center and he said, 'There's this kid down the hall not wearing a costume. What's wrong with that?' I told him not everyone wears costumes all the time. But he said, 'This kid doesn't have a costume. I don't understand. That's not okay. Why can't we get costumes for kids?'"

And now, that dream is set to become a reality, as Lanzetta announced that she's forming a new non-profit foundation, Sam's Heroes, that will help to provide kids who have childhood cancers with costumes and arrange for superheroes to visit children in the hospital. Details on the foundation are still to come, she said.

In addition, a new St. Baldrick's head shaving event to raise funds for childhood cancers will take place at the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Peconic on March 16. The team's name will be Sam's Heroes and the site will be launched this week.

Lanzetta also wanted to remind that September is childhood cancer awareness month, represented by a gold ribbon. "The gold ribbon needs more exposure," she said."Pediatric cancer research is grossly underfunded; only four percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget." Other cancers have higher budgets due to adult advocates. "Children need us to speak up for them," she said.

Watching her son play, Lanzetta was emotional. "He's had 25 spinal taps. I don't know how many infusions of chemotherapy. He's taken pills every day that have affected him, just wearing him out. But for him to get as cool as he is, after everything he's been through, still smiling. . . I'm just super proud of the attitude he's had throughout this whole thing — and that he wants to give back, as well."

As for Sam, he thanked everyone for coming, and then ran to enjoy the event he'd been looking forward to most – a brightly colored pinata. And as it should be — Sam got the very first swing.

Photos, video by Lisa Finn.