Sports are a microcosm of life.

They teach you things like hard work actually does pay off, the benefits of teamwork and that sometimes you get a curve ball thrown your way.

The theoretical curve ball is exactly what Federal Way’s Fantozzi family had to deal with last February.

That’s when 12-year-old Peter Fantozzi, a self-described baseball nut, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma.

“‘Your child has cancer.’ These are words no parent can imagine hearing,” said Peter’s mother, Karen Fantozzi.

But Peter’s story has a happy ending.

After 14 rounds of chemotherapy, 25 radiation treatments and having one-fourth of his pelvis removed over a 10-month period, Peter had his first set of clean cancer scans on Feb. 23, 2010.

“It was really hard most of the time,” said Peter, who started seventh grade at St. Vincent de Paul School last week. “Most of the time it was really painful and other times it was hard to stay focused and not get all down. But when we got the clean scan, I couldn’t even think straight. I was just so happy it was all over.”

And a big part of that happiness stemmed from being able to get back on the baseball field after a season on the sidelines.

“I think I waited maybe a couple days after and went out and played baseball,” Peter said.

The initial diagnosis occurred in 2009, right after the Federal Way National Little League baseball tryout session.

“Peter tried out for the Majors (10-12-year-olds), not knowing if he would be drafted or not for the team, but wanting to experience the process,” Karen Fantozzi said.

And that tryout process was a huge success. Peter was drafted by National’s Florida Marlins and was set to play his first season in the Majors division.

But Peter was never able to step on the field for the Marlins in 2009. Not even two weeks after getting the joyous phone call that he had been drafted, Peter was in the doctor’s office complaining about intermittent pain in his hip.

“It would happen once every couple months and it would hurt really bad,” Peter said. “Finally, after the fourth or fifth time, we went to the doctor and got an MRI.”

The MRI scan showed a mass in Peter’s pelvis. Doctors immediately ordered a biopsy at Children’s Hospital in Seattle and found the Ewing’s sarcoma.

The most common areas in which the cancer occurs are the pelvis, the femur, the humerus and the ribs. Ewing’s sarcoma occurs most frequently in male teenagers and affects only around 200 kids each year.

“I wasn’t really too upset at that time,” admitted Peter. “I didn’t know what it was. I had no clue.”

Actually, what really bummed Peter out was the fact that doctors told him the cancer diagnosis meant he wouldn’t be able to play baseball with his Federal Way National teammates.

That’s how important the sport is to the 12-year-old.

“I was upset because I was missing the baseball season,” he said.

“Peter was never able to play a game with his majors team and this bothered Peter more, it seemed, then his cancer diagnosis,” Karen Fantozzi said.

That all changed this spring. Peter was able to get back on the diamond with his Marlins teammates after not playing a competitive baseball game since 2008.

“I was pretty nervous about it,” said Peter. “I hadn’t played in a couple years and was wondering how everybody would react. But I was doing everything I was doing before. I’m not as good as I would be if I didn’t go through chemo. But I did all right.”

The only thing doctors didn’t allow Peter to do this season was slide.

“That’s just in case,” he said. “I can’t go too hard on it.”

“He’s actually doing really well,” Karen Fantozzi said. “To be honest, I was a little nervous about him being able to do it. He’s still trying to figure out working with his limitations. But all his coaches and everybody else have been great. They made him feel comfortable and everybody would cheer for him. It was quite nice. We really felt a huge support from our community here.”

Now, the Fantozzi family is hoping to raise the awareness in Federal Way and the surrounding communities regarding childhood cancer.

After the family received the news of Peter’s clean cancer scan, Karen wanted to do something to get the word out about how people can help prevent the uncertainty of what they went through. The result was a fundraiser that will take place Sept. 12 in Federal Way.

Strike Out Sarcoma, the brainchild of Karen Fantozzi, will run from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Federal Way National Little League Complex, 500 SW Campus Dr. The event will include a silent auction as well as a kids zone with bouncy toys, clowns and face painters, among other things.

“While Peter was in treatment, I dreamed about doing a fundraiser to raise awareness of childhood cancer while raising money for research,” Karen said. “Forty-six kids every school day are diagnosed with childhood cancer and we are hoping to raise awareness for this horrible disease that is stealing our children’s childhood from them.”

Strike Out Sarcoma will feature a charity softball game involving coaches from Federal Way National and Soundview little leagues. Peter Fantozzi will coach the National team and 13-year-old Gary Yost will coach the Soundview squad.

Yost, from Northeast Tacoma, was also diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in his ribcage in 2007, and underwent a similar treatment process as Fantozzi before being declared cancer-free in 2008. Yost is also a big baseball fan and was able to return to the Soundview Little League field last year.

“Right when we were starting my treatment, on the first day, (Gary) was getting his three-month scan done,” Peter said. “Our moms met and found out that we had the same kind of cancer. We started to keep in touch and Gary’s mom would help my mom through all the stuff. Me and Gary also became buddies.”

Admission into the park is $15 for adults and $10 for children. There is also a family package available for $50 for two adults and three children. Admission also includes a meal from the Caveman Kitchen in Kent. All the money will go to support the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation.

For more information, contact strikeoutsarcoma@comcast.net or visit www.nwsarcoma.org.

“Sunday is going to be a lot fun,” Peter said. “Me and my friend love baseball a lot and the coaches helped us out a lot. It’s going to be a fun day. I’m probably going to be a little shy about yelling at my coaches. I’m not going to be too harsh and will probably be in the dugout most of the time.”

All the umpires will also be children and Heather Sugg, the girls basketball coach at Todd Beamer High School who was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year, will throw out the inaugural first pitch. The coaches will also compete in a home run derby.

“We are just trying to do a whole role reversal,” Karen Fantozzi said. “We just kind of brainstormed and wanted to involve Federal Way National, who were extremely supportive. All the coaches jumped on board and were great when he was in treatment. People I didn’t know had my son’s initials and number embroidered on their hats.

“It was just humbling to see that.”