Tyler Piester is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Canyon View High School for AZPreps365.com

WADDELL– Every Friday night, Canyon View senior Cash Chambers runs onto the football field with one goal: to make his mom proud.

From the stands, Tara Carnes cheers for her son, her voice rising above the rest despite the battle she is fighting. For the past four years, Tara has been battling stage 4 breast cancer. 

“Pretty much my life right now is just being really, really sick,” Tara said. “I’m not able to work because I have several tumors all over my body, and these past few years I’ve not been able to do as much with Cash.”

Cash has spent his high school years balancing football, school and caring for his mom. To him, helping his mom isn’t a burden, it’s what being family is all about.

“I clean the house, I cook dinner, and I sometimes even get her coffee," Cash said. “Somedays she’s not able to go out, so we’ll just watch a movie or I’ll just sit and talk to her.”

For Tara, it is hard for her to watch her son take on more than any teenager ever should.

“It makes me feel bad because I’m his mom, and I should be doing that for him,” Tara said. “But he’s just really selfless about it. On my really bad days, he’ll sit by me and hold my hand or he’ll hug me and say, ‘We can do this.’ It’s always been a ‘we’ thing.”

Through everything though, Cash has never forgotten all that his mother has done for him.

“She has always figured out a way to get me to practices, games and school,” Cash said. “I never really thought much about it before, but now I am really appreciative and grateful that she’s always been there for me.”

Tara said that her son’s strength and big heart are what she is most proud of.

“The human that he is inspires me and makes me proud,” Tara said. “A lot of people don’t see us every day. They don’t see how hard it is, and how much he helps me. He genuinely carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

Cash finds his escape when he’s on the football field, where he can just be a teenager again.

“You can just tell when he’s playing football with the guys,” Tara said. “It’s just like a little bit of heaven and fun for him. It’s amazing to see, because he’s carrying so much on his shoulders that people may not know about.”

Even when Cash is on the field, he still thinks about his mom.

“I always pray before every game,” Cash said. “I pray about the game and for my mom. I always look for her in the stands, and after every game I go and give her a big hug.”

Coach J.R. Alcantar says that moments like that don’t go unnoticed.

“Cash plays with so much heart,” Alcantar said. “You can see that everything he does is for her. When you see him after a game going straight to his mom, that’s love right there. That’s what it’s all about.”

“He’s a leader by example,” Alcantar said. “He takes his mom to her appointments and makes sure that he's there for her but also at the same time is a model student by maintaining good grades and in his commitment to the team.”

Alcantar said that Cash’s maturity and compassion is what sets him apart. 

“He’s more mature and grown up than he needs to be and he’s just an incredible kid,” Alcantar said. “You can tell his heart’s in the right place. Everything he does, both on and off the field, it’s because of his mom. She’s his ‘why.’ And that’s what makes him special.”

Tara said that the support from the school, the team and the parents has meant the world to her and Cash.

“They’ve done so much for us,” Tara said. “They did a pancake drive and donated all the money to help us with things. They also dedicated a breast cancer game to me, and I got to flip the coin at the beginning of it.”

“The support from the school and the parents has been overwhelming.” Tara said. “At the time, most of those people were strangers, yet they supported us as family, and for that we will be forever grateful.”

Next fall Cash will attend the University of Arizona. He’s excited for what’s ahead, but understands that it won’t be easy leaving home. 

“I think about how I’m not going to be there to take care of her,” Cash said. “I’m going to call her every day and come home every other weekend just to see how she’s doing and make sure she is OK.”

As Tara watches her son prepare for college, she is proud, but a little sad knowing that he will be leaving.

“I’ve purposely not been sharing how I feel about him leaving because I know it’ll weigh heavily on him,” she said. “He deserves to go and be a kid. He’s worked so hard for it, and he truly deserves it.”

Cash said that his outlook on life and family have changed after everything he and his mom have faced together throughout the past few years.

“Just love your parents, because they won’t be around forever,” he said. “Always say ‘I love you,’ and remember to say ‘thank you’, because your parents do a lot for you and you don’t know how many chances you have left to say that to them.”

Just like Cash, Tara said her journey has taught her to value the moments that most take for granted.

“Hold your families closer, because time’s not granted and time’s not gifted.” Tara said. “Appreciate every moment you have with your loved ones. When you know you’re dying, you live your life differently.”