With this in mind, Adamietz showed up for a September home fixture to lead the crowd in urging on the Cougars to show some courage, honor, spirit and skill on the field. However, she had received an unusual text concerning her timekeeping not long beforehand.
The teen was used to turning up to her cheerleading commitments promptly, so the content of the message puzzled her.
Having donned her red, white and black uniform, Adamietz took her position at the end of the cheerleading line. When the players walked out in procession, carrying the team flag at their head, Adamietz began to cheer them on like the rest of her crew.
However, when the players reached her position, they each took turns to deliver an overwhelming message.
Initially, Adamietz seemed bemused and bewildered by the pre-kickoff action. However, her reaction soon changed to one of delight and disbelief as Cougar after Cougar laid down a bloom.
Adamietz looked along the line and it appeared that every single member of the Foothill High team was going to pay her the same honor.
In fact, no fewer than 57 Foothill High players stood in line to pay floral tribute to Adamietz. As the teen told KRCR that September, “I’m like, ‘Oh wow!
This is happening’… They were going to keep on coming. I wanted to cry.” So what had motivated this mass team message, and why did Adamietz find the series of simple gestures so moving?
Chronic myeloid leukemia is a condition that affects the white blood cells produced in the body’s bone marrow. And Adamietz could consider herself doubly unlucky to be diagnosed with the disease.
It is highly unusual for someone of the cheerleading teenager’s age to develop this kind of cancer. As a matter of fact, it is generally detected in people preparing to collect their pensions with the average age of sufferers being 64.
Such was the rarity of Adamietz’s diagnosis, it did not stay secret for long in such a small community as Redding and its surrounds. Indeed, the bad news spread as far as her high-school football team in no time, and Ryan Caetano, the Cougars’ team captain, was hit hard.
Consequently, the considerate youngster decided to approach his team with the idea of doing something to show support for the loyal cheerleader.
Joey Brown, Foothill High’s coach, was immensely gratified by his team’s gesture. However, he later told CBS News that he was not surprised by the motivations behind it, or indeed that it had been a Cougar who came up with the concept.
Brown told the cameras, “We’ve always worked long at developing character.”
Indeed, the Cougars’ kind and compassionate act certainly made its intended emotional impact, and countless online viewers got to share in the magical moment. Thankfully, as the players laid down their orange roses, someone was in place to film the whole uplifting episode.
And once it was uploaded to the internet, the resulting video quickly went viral.
Perhaps as a consequence of the Cougars’ efforts, a crowd-funding page was subsequently set up for Adamietz. And a considerable cash pile was amassed to provide financial support for the sick teenager and her family.
But that was by no means the end of the good news. Happily, Adamietz responded well to the tyrosine-kinase inhibitors she had been prescribed.