For Harry Greenberg, the first clue was soreness in his leg at the end of his junior lacrosse season in 2007.
The pain continued on a trip to southern California during summer vacation before his senior year. While enjoying a week of surfing off the Pacific coast, the 17-year-old Miami Country Day senior felt ''a foreign substance'' in his left knee. He dismissed the discomfort.
'One of my friends actually said, `Dude, I hope you don't have cancer or anything,' '' Greenberg said. ``And that's exactly what ended up happening.''
That cancer forced him to make a decision no high-schooler should have to make: Engage in a prolonged and risky battle with the disease and live a sedentary, inactive life or amputate at the site of the cancer. Greenberg chose the amputation, leaving him with a prosthetic leg before his 18th birthday.
Greenberg, a star on the lacrosse field and in the pool as a competitive swimmer, had osteogenic sarcoma, or osteosarcoma, a cancer that thrives in the bone.
''We decided that it would be much better in the long run if we had an amputation because if it had gone otherwise, a limb-sparing procedure, I wouldn't be able to do all the things that I love,'' he said. ``The rest of my life would have to be pretty laid-back.''
A laid-back life was not in Greenberg's plans.
At the time of the surgery, Greenberg's doctors gave him a 75 percent chance of survival; good odds when compared to most cases of osteosarcoma, but a frightening figure for anybody, let alone a teenager.
''It was such a shock,'' said Greenberg's mother, Debbie Greenberg. ``He's been a healthy kid his entire life, and then to find out he has a large, aggressive tumor . . . It wasn't easy for us.''
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
With his unfailingly positive attitude, Greenberg found himself consoling those around him. He recalled times during treatment when his friends and family needed an encouraging word more than he did.
''It's a lot better if you go in with a positive attitude and not be all sad and depressed,'' he said.
The surgery was set for Oct. 19. The day before, Greenberg's swim teammates dedicated their district playoff performance to him. They shaved their heads as a show of unity for their team captain, who had already started chemotherapy.
''I admire Harry,'' said Miami Country Day swimming coach Denyse Pichardo, who coached Greenberg all through high school. ``He's shown an incredible amount of courage.''
When Daniel Penengo, Greenberg's lacrosse coach, heard about the cancer, he was among those who needed a dose of Greenberg's optimism.
''When we found out we were all freaking out. Who knew if he was going to make it through the month, or the week?'' Penengo said. ``It was a really intense time.''
At the beginning of the lacrosse season, Greenberg and his teammates raised money by hosting a Miami Country Day Walk-for-the-Cure event. The effort netted more than $10,000.
The lacrosse team dedicated its season to Greenberg, wearing black No. 9 stickers (his jersey number) on their helmets. Jon Oberti, a close friend of Greenberg's and one of the top lacrosse players in the county, put away his No. 21 jersey, opting instead to wear No. 9 in honor of his teammate.
Greenberg's athletic aspirations, while compromised, are far from over. Recently he has grown more comfortable with the prosthetic leg. Before the Spartans season ended in April, he even played a couple of practices as a goalkeeper, denying shots only six months after his amputation and while still undergoing chemotherapy.
Of the practices, he said laughing, ``I think I still have a few bruises from the last time.''
The new leg is a slow and difficult process. Even now, after having to ''learn to walk all over again,'' he sometimes stumbles. Running is no easy task, and it will still be some time before he can compete in the pool.
But those obstacles pail in comparison to watching from the sidelines while his friends and teammates compete.
''We had a younger team coming in, so we had counted on Harry to be a leader,'' said teammate Scott Tromberg.``He hasn't been able to do it on the field, but he's still done it.''
But it has not been easy for Greenberg.
''That's the hardest part [not being able to play],'' he said. ``Seeing them play, I can give them advice, like a coach. But it's not the same as being out there. That's where I want to get to.''
HIS REAL PASSION
Greenberg maintains that his real passion is swimming, and he plans on trying out for the paralympics in the coming year.
''I have no doubt Harry can compete on that level, just because he's so determined,'' Pichardo said.
Greenberg is in the process of obtaining a special spring-loaded prosthetic made for surfing that will allow him to stand up on his board. However, his excursions to the West Coast will have to be put on hold next year, as he is enrolled to attend the College of Charleston.
Academics play a big role in Greenberg's life. He sports a 3.5 GPA even after missing a large portion of his senior year to surgery, therapy and rehab.
Greenberg knows the road ahead will not be easy. Coming off months of chemotherapy -- his final treatment ended Wednesday -- he still has hours of rehabilitation and training before his body becomes accustomed to its new limb.
For now, there is no sign of cancerous cell activity in his body. The strech-run of chemo treatments took their toll, but every day he feels a little stronger, a little healthier, and every bit as upbeat as the day he was diagnosed.
''It's really not even that big of a deal anymore,'' he said. ``I know it's going to work out for the best.
``It's not so much about the leg -- it's all about your head.''
