FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The 10-year-old boy with the charming smile, colorful hat and heavy black brace on his right leg waited at the rope that surrounds the New England Patriots' practice fields, leaning into crutches to keep him upright.
Jack Berry of Missoula, Montana, wasn't supposed to be here. He didn't want to be here. But everything changed so suddenly about five weeks ago with a life-altering medical diagnosis: osteosarcoma, a solid tumor of the bone.
Yet, as veteran safety Patrick Chung approached him, the 30-year-old was uplifted by the youngster's presence.