Dallastown boys' lacrosse honors 3-year-old Wesley Beam with White Out game

Wesley Beam walked across the temporary grass field, holding his dad’s hand as members of the Dallastown and Kennard-Dale boys’ lacrosse teams maneuvered through a pregame handshake line designed just for him. He had more fist bumps to give while sitting on his dad’s shoulders with a peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable in his other hand. He had an ear-to-ear grin and the energy of a 3-year-old who knew he was the center of attention.

Beam was Dallastown’s honorary captain Tuesday as the Wildcats held a “White Out for Wesley” game in support of Beam as he battles an aggressive, life-threatening brain tumor. Luke Beam, Wesley’s father, is an assistant coach for the team.

In February, Wesley was diagnosed with Childhood Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The rare tumor is inoperable due to its location in the brain stem; there is no existing cure and there are no children known to have survived the disease. For nearly a month, Luke and Wesley Beam have driven together to Johns Hopkins at 6 a.m. five times a week for radiation treatment; Wesley has also been receiving research medication as part of a clinical trial.

Dallastown began planning the White Out game shortly after learning of Wesley's diagnosis, head coach Scott Toman said, and the program started promoting the event a couple weeks out. Fans of both teams were asked to arrive in white to the contest. The school sold “Wildcats for Wesley” T-shirts for $25 each, with all proceeds going to the Beam family, whose GoFundMe has raised nearly $46,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

Several players also had “WB” stickers on their helmets, a reflection of how they've taken the Beams' fight to heart.

"When we break out of every huddle, we always say 'family' on three," Toman said. "And there are times I'll stop them and I'll ask the kids, 'What does that mean to you?' And I tell them what it means to me, and we talk about how we're together and ... when you stay family, you're there for each other, even when the chips are down.

"When we say family, they mean it, and they understand what that means to all of us. And they know the fight's not over for Luke, so they're going to continue to support him."

The Wildcats won the game 19-0, improving to 6-0 in the York-Adams League and 9-0 overall. Evan Mitchell scored seven goals, Caleb Fox had four and Griffin Pickett tallied three with three assists. But the star of the show, of course, was the 3-year-old on the sideline in a shirt that read “Not Today Brain Tumor” with a unicorn in the middle.

Luke Beam joined the Dallastown program last season as its defensive coordinator; the veteran coach has previously led York Suburban's program and also coached at Messiah University, among other stops. Toman — who also once served as Suburban's head coach — said he always admired the tenacity of Luke's defenses and was excited to join forces with him.

After Wesley’s diagnosis, Luke stepped away from the team to focus on caring for his son. He and his wife, Marcie, have taken plenty of time away from work as the family continues the fight. Early in the process, Wesley was not walking. After several weeks of radiation, he was running around the field and throwing a lacrosse ball to his 9-year-old brother, Preston.

Wesley was through 20 treatments and had 10 to go as of Tuesday evening. Doctors plan to give him a second medication in addition to his current one when radiation ends. His tumor is shrinking and his symptoms are less severe. But with no known cure, a long uphill battle remains.

"There were a couple of times when we had the announcer read a statement, and it was just thinking about inevitably what may happen, because there hasn't been a child that's survived this," Toman said. "The Beams know that, we all know that, and you get choked up thinking of it.

"But then it brings a smile to your face because you look at Wesley and you see him running around."

When Toman first messaged Kennard-Dale coach Chris Kazi to inform him of Dallastown's plan for the White Out game, Kazi quickly committed to help out. The Rams' coaches wore white on the sideline Tuesday, just like their fans, and it was Kazi's idea to have his players join the pregame handshake line.

In the face of tragedy, sports so often provide a stage for unity. The Dallastown and local lacrosse communities have rallied around the Beam family amid Wesley’s fight. Even as the score grew lopsided, those in attendance never lost sight of what was truly important.

"Yesterday was not about a lacrosse game. It was about what this 3-year-old boy is going through," Toman said. "The sport brings us together ... but I think in the long run, it's deeper than that. It's about family. It's about the bond that we have. And I think that's what keeps us going."