With a knot growing in his stomach, Francisco Martinez approached his coach.
He needed to miss practice, and he did not have the parental note that Marysville-Pilchuck High School soccer coach Kyle Suits requires. This was important, though, so he decided to ask.
Suits excused Martinez on that afternoon three weeks ago despite not knowing what was going on behind the scenes of his player’s request. Martinez was surprised his coach let him go so easily. Even more shocking was the community support his family received in the coming weeks.
"This all started with Francisco asking one day to miss soccer practice so he could take care of his niece," Suits said. "I didn’t think much of it."
Some moments, Suits found out later, are more important — more precious — than a few hours on the soccer field. Francisco Martinez, 18, spent that afternoon caring for his 4-year-old niece, Mayra Martinez, who was diagnosed with leukemia in early March. Her parents, Salvador and Camilla, desperately needed a break from looking into their daughter’s brown eyes, which reveal a mixture of joy and suffering. Francisco simply wanted to give them a respite from their own pain.
Suits had heard that there was a young girl in the community suffering from leukemia who’d had a kidney removed, and began to wonder if she was Francisco Martinez’s niece. When Suits finally heard the full story — including the part about Mayra not being covered by health insurance for the staggering costs of her medical care — he asked his players if they wanted to do something to help a teammate and his family.
What he saw in the coming weeks meant much more to him than anything a scoreboard will ever show. The team, with help from members of the Marysville-Pilchuck faculty, put together an auction that on Monday night raised $6,088 for the family.
"There is a much bigger picture here for us than winning soccer games," Suits said. "We want to win them all, but the reality is we’re not going to. So we try to teach things beyond soccer."
Apparently, his players are getting the message.
The Martinez family spent Monday night laughing and crying in the Marysville-Pilchuck freshmen cafeteria, struggling to believe what they were seeing.
"I see all the people, and I feel too happy," said Francisco Martinez, a sophomore midfielder who moved to Marysville from Mexico six months ago. "All of my family is too happy. I can see everybody (wants) to help my niece. When I talk to her, she say, ‘Really, I don’t think so.’ I say, ‘Yeah, everybody (wants) to help you.’ "
Monday’s bidders will be remembered more for big hearts than auction savvy. Bidding on items donated mostly by players, parents and local businesses, there were several instances where people raised their own bids before volunteer auctioneer Mike Mallory, an Everett attorney, could shout, "Sold!"
As the bidding for four Everett Silvertips tickets worth $108 stalled at $150, Veronica Stordahl held up her auction number and shouted "$200." With tears welling in her eyes, she explained that she loved hockey and Mayra Martinez. She also won a pair of Mariners tickets valued at $28 with a bid of $75.
Later, Mallory held up a bucketful of car detailing items and asked the team if they’d be willing to wash the winner’s car. After they agreed, the bidding reached $100. Kathy Ruiz said she’d bid $200 if the boys would wash two cars. Kyle Strand, a junior defender, shouted to Ruiz that the team would wash three cars for $300, and Ruiz agreed.
Before the last item was auctioned, Mayra’s uncle Florencio Martinez spoke to the crowd. He thanked them for their support and said the money would go toward Mayra’s care and perhaps a trip to put some fun back into her life.
"We don’t know how long we’ll have her," he said. "We want to make her happy."
After his speech, one person donated $200 and another 12 offered $100 apiece.
When Suits told Florencio Martinez two weeks ago about the team’s plans, he said Martinez was stunned.
"His words to me — almost word for word — were, ‘I’m so grateful that they are helping a low man.’ "
Though they hadn’t known Francisco Martinez for long, the team never hesitated to make its most important assist of the season.
"It feels good to know that you can give what you have to someone who is not as lucky," said sophomore defender Matt Stokes, who donated an autographed photo of the late snowboarder Ross Powers and placed a winning bid on a pair of soccer cleats.
Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall, who had to leave for a City Council meeting before the auction began, called the boys’ actions "part of a healing process that the school district and the city are going through right now with all the problems that we’ve had."
"We always hear about the bad things that kids do," he added. "We never hear about the good things. These kids put this whole thing together, from what I understand, in a week and a half. I think that shows real dedication on their part."
Though many were proud of the team, varsity team captain James Millikan, a senior, wasn’t looking for a pat on the back.
"We’re just trying to raise money to help them out," said Millikan, whose father’s construction company donated 15 tons of crushed gravel that sold for $350. "He’s a teammate, and we help our teammates out."
The scores of the games will eventually fade from their memories. Monday night will stay with Francisco and his teammates for a lifetime.
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