Sixteen since June, he hopes to get his driver's license soon.
Cancer may have ravaged his childhood, but it won't stop Chris from being a teenager.
A meduloblastoma brain tumor when he was 3 kept him from walking until fourth grade, radiation treatment has left him permanently bald, and damage from the tumor forces him to wear a back brace.
However, 13 years out of treatment, Chris now plays soccer, baseball and basketball with friends and classmates.
Even an audiologist appointment that threatened to interrupt his participation in the Running for the Goal: Kids Kicking Cancer event Thursday missed its shot when a fluke scheduling error delayed his appointment.
"I don't remember cancer 'cause I was only 3 years old," said Chris, also an avid horseback rider. "But it's nice to see that all these people made it through."
Thirty kids ranging in age from 4 to 16 - all diagnosed with cancer, and a third still in treatment - took to Lost Nation Sports Park in Willoughby for soccer lessons, team-building exercises and pickup games at the second annual event, hosted by University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and Ireland Cancer Clinic.
Joining them on the fields to mentor and exhibit skill sets were Ali Kazemaini, a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Soccer Team; Hector Marinaro, formerly of the Cleveland Force; and Branden Stelmak, 18, of Broadview Heights.
Stelmak, who is more of a local celebrity, survived leukemia two years ago and will now attend the University of Cincinnati on a soccer scholarship.
Their lessons were followed by a free lunch courtesy of University Hospitals benefactor Iris Wolstein, who also bought each child a shirt and shin guards, and free balls from Ohio Youth Soccer.
Participants all face different stages of treatment; Ceci Manuszak, a nurse at Ireland Cancer Center, said she'd see some of them in the clinic the next day.
Their levels of activity at home vary, depending on how much cancer has weakened their immune systems or stamina.
"A lot of these kids become a little more passive after their diagnosis," Manuszak said. "Parents are nervous and anxious, and many of them are used to watching their siblings or classmates. Now it's their turn to be watched."
Exercise is also invaluable to their recovery, pediatric oncologist Chad Jacobsen said. Statistics show regular exercise can reduce survivors' fatigue levels, even in cases of neurological complication.
"The message here is, 'Part of healthy living from here on out, now that we've cured your disease, is to be active,' " Jacobsen said. "They aren't necessarily going out and trying out for sports, but they know they can go out and participate with friends. The big goal is for them to feel like just another kid in the neighborhood.
"You have like peers in a situation where you know not everyone is going to be Hector Marinaro or David Beckham, and inhibitions because of perceived or actual impairment are washed out."
Survivors of childhood cancer also have a higher instance of obesity as a result of lowered metabolism, inactivity or both, said Lisa Vitkus, program director of the Center for Survivors of Childhood Cancer.
The center started with a grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 2004, "So we knew we wanted to be looking at physical activity," Vitkus said.
Siblings weren't permitted to participate Thursday; competition between healthy kids and those battling illness can be overwhelming.
When he began treatment two years ago for his acute lymphoblastic leukemia, soon-to-be-6-year-old Danny Walsh of Concord Township would sit and cry while his brothers ran around outside.
Medicines affecting the muscles in his legs had rendered Danny unable to run.
Today, on different medications, he plays baseball, swims and ice skates.
He also counted the days before the Kids Kicking Cancer event this year, said his mother, Rose.
"To be able to come here and run around and do everything, it's a huge accomplishment, and he knows it because he still talks about the time when he couldn't run," Rose said. "This is almost like rehabilitation. This program is phenomenal to get them moving."
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