Mars Area Youth Football & Cheerleading

During the month of September 2025, Mars Area Youth Football & Cheerleading are raising awareness of childhood cancer by recognizing a Warrior of the Week. Their efforts are also in support of Lending Hearts, for which we are so honored!

Each week, we will update this post to share the newest Warrior of the Week.

Thank you, Mars Area Youth Football & Cheerleading, for all your efforts to raise awareness of our young friends living with cancer and their families!

The following content is provided by Mars Area Youth Football & Cheerleading Facebook Page:

Week 1

Bringing awareness to a disease is critical. Introducing you to people who have lived / are living through it, is also critical. Not only is awareness how we expand the reach to those who can provide resources for additional research, trials and treatments, etc.; but we are expanding the support and prayers for the person(s) impacted, and that, to a family going through a cancer diagnosis, means the world.

And with that, we have the honor of introducing our first Warrior Captain of the Week, Hannah Pyles.

Hannah is a second-grade student at McKnight Elementary in the North Allegheny School District. She has one older sister named Abigail, who is also her best friend.

Hannah was diagnosed with Stage IV, High-Risk Neuroblastoma in June of 2020 when she was just 2 years old. She has endured 5 rounds of chemotherapy, a 15 hour tumor resection surgery, two back to back stem cell transplants, radiation and immunotherapy. While most of her treatments were at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Hannah took part in a clinical trial at The Cleveland Clinic in which she took 14 pills a day for 2 years as maintenance to prevent a relapse. We are happy to report that Hannah has remained cancer free since she completed the trial in May of 2023!

Hannah loves school, being a Girl Scout, Disney Zombies movies, singing with her sister and spending time with her family.

From Mars Youth Football and Cheer, we hope you, Hannah, continue to receive clean scans and get to sing your heart out for all the years to come. Keep thriving! And to the Pyles family, thank you for letting us introduce your WARRIOR.

Week 2

Introducing our Warrior of the Week, Jimmy Spagnolo! Jimmy and Vasso from Lending Hearts will be joining us tomorrow for the Meteors game at 3:30pm. Our cheerleaders will also be collecting money for our fundraiser for Lending Hearts. Here is Jimmy's story:

On September 14, 2010, at just 4 months old, Jimmy was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. What could have been a moment of despair quickly became a story of faith, resilience, and hope. His family chose to believe in the power of prayers, positivity, and miracles - and Jimmy has proven them right time and again.

In the early months after diagnosis, Jimmy’s tumors began to shrink in ways that surprised even his doctors. By early 2013, after two and a half years of treatment, his tumor had shrunk so significantly that it was nearly invisible on scans. His doctors called it nothing short of miraculous. Jimmy was able to come off treatment and live freely, enjoying the joys of childhood.

Though new tumor spots reappeared in 2016 and again in 2020, Jimmy faced each challenge with remarkable strength. He endured more rounds of chemotherapy and even began a new oral treatment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, all while continuing to thrive, grow, and inspire everyone around him.

Today, Jimmy is a sophomore in high school, has been off all medication for over a year, and is living his best life. His journey has included more than 60 chemotherapy infusions, countless hospital stays, and endless scans, but through it all, Jimmy’s joy, courage, and perseverance have never wavered. He is proof that love, faith, and resilience can carry us through the hardest battles.

Jimmy’s story is more than a medical journey; it is a beacon of hope. He reminds us all that even in the face of life’s greatest challenges, strength can be found, joy can be chosen, and miracles can happen.

From MYFC: Jimmy, you are one amazing young man, and you show us all that there is so much more to you than your cancer journey. Keep making everyone smile around you just by being you! The best has yet to come for you!

Week 3

Introducing the Warrior of the Week, from the nearby Knoch area school district, Aria Joy Olsen. Aria will be joining us tomorrow for the Invaders game at 6:00pm. Our cheerleaders and the concession stand will also be collecting money for our Lending Hearts fundraiser.

Aria was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on August 15, 2020, when she was just 3 years old. After the initial treatments, and failed attempts at chemotherapy, it was discovered that she had a rare subtype called TCF3-HLF-positive leukemia. This more specific diagnosis made her prognosis very uncertain. Aria has endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy, and two bone marrow transplants.

Despite setbacks and uncertainties, after her second bone marrow transplant on July 7, 2022, Aria began to recover. Today, she is a happy, active, and cancer-free 8-year-old who loves art, singing, dancing, and acting. Though Aria is not considered cured yet, she is living proof that, through modern science and faith, miracles can happen.

Aria and her family are on a mission to spread awareness and raise funds for pediatric cancer research. They recently released a children's book illustrating Aria’s story called "The Cancer Fighting Princess". For those who want to purchase a copy of this inspirational story, either for yourself or to share with someone you may know going through a cancer diagnosis, you can do so here: https://a.co/d/ecRjY0q

From MYFC, Aria, you are the definition of strength and bravery. You have superpowers that not everyone else has. Keep shining and sharing your awesome personality with everyone you meet.