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South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com December 14, 2008
For a MoSt Worthy Cause
Flag football game in Cooper City honors player's slain friend
Back after surgery, flag football player honors slain ex-teammate
By Rachel Hatzipanagos
December 14, 2008
In eighth grade, Ruben Leon and Morris Stein played on the same flag football team.
A year later, when both were enrolled in Cooper City High School , Leon was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a painful intestinal disease that continued to worsen. Five years later, Stein was killed in an accidental shooting.
They never really knew each other beyond being teammates, and eventually they lost touch. But on Saturday, Leon honored his lost teammate in the best way he knew how: playing ball.
Leon , recovering from surgery, went back onto the field wearing a jersey he hoped would gain awareness for the Morris Stein Foundation, or MoSt. The organization promotes the ideals of diversity and the environment.
In the fall of 2007, Leon was a student at Florida State University in Tallahassee . But by December of that year he took medical leave, and in February doctors removed his entire large intestine.
From April to September, he couldn't do any strenuous physical activity. When he finally got permission to exercise, Leon decided to participate in Saturday's flag football tournament called the "Let it Fly" games at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City .
A few days prior to the game, Leon was browsing on Facebook, the social networking site, when he came across the MoSt site.
"I clicked on his Web site and saw the article about the shooting. It completely caught me off guard," Leon said.
A friend had accidentally shot Morris to death in January of this year at his apartment.
The shock moved Leon to contact Morris' mother, Robin Stein , and on Wednesday he visited her Aventura home. He told her he wanted to play flag football in honor of Morris, and he named his team First and For MoSt.
"Ruben and my son seem to be kindred spirits," Robin Stein said.
Saturday, Leon went back onto the field.
"It's my first time really doing something physical," said Leon, who wore a protective shield in front of his ileostomy bag, which collects waste.
As Robin watched the team play, she noticed a player wearing the number 3.
"Morris used to wear number 3," Stein said.
"He had a good arm."
Go to www.themostfoundation.org to find out more about the Morris Stein Foundation.
Rachel Hatzipanagos can be reached at rhatzipanagos@SunSentinel.com or 954-385-7946.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
LINK TO PETITIONSITE: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/safety-instruction-before-gun-ownership
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