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  • Adam Connette of Orange Lutheran is playing in Thursday's O.C....

    Adam Connette of Orange Lutheran is playing in Thursday's O.C. All-Star Game for his mother, Nancy, who is battling two types of cancer.

  • Adam Connette, right, poses for a portrait with his parents,...

    Adam Connette, right, poses for a portrait with his parents, Allen and Nancy, who is battling cancer and underwent brain surgery in December.

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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

FULLERTON – Adam Connette decided weeks ago that he would play Thursday’s Brea Lions Orange County All-Star Game for someone other than himself.

The Orange Lutheran wide receiver selected his mother.

“She doesn’t really have much longer because she has cancer,” he explained. “This might be the last football game she sees me play in. It’s kind of a big deal for me.”

Connette’s mother, Nancy, has been battling life-threatening medical issues since December. She is the mother of seven children, including six football-playing boys.

Nancy underwent emergency brain surgery in mid-December to remove part of a tumor attached to her optic nerve and pituitary gland. That tumor turned out to be a metastasized form of breast cancer, her husband, Allen, said.

“The toughest time (was) the night of the surgery,” Connette said. “You didn’t really know what to feel. … Doctors telling you that she is going to be blind. My mom might not be able to see me again.”

Nancy survived the surgery and a stroke she suffered during the procedure, but her road to recovery is daunting. She has a microscopic form of breast cancer that didn’t show in a mass in the breast, Allen, said.

“There’s emotional nights,” said Connette, the fourth oldest child in his family. “It’s gotten better now. When it first started, it would get me crying at night, (my) little brothers (were) crying. … It’s just hard to see your family like that.”

Connette is thankful for the progress his mom has made. She can see, walk and talk.

Nancy’s bond with her children includes years of home-schooling, starting with her oldest child, Katie, 24.

Mom often sat at the family table with her five oldest children, delivering individual lessons and assigning work before moving on to next child.

“She is the strongest person I’ve known,” Connette said of his mom.

Connette said his Christian faith, family support and football have strengthened him the last several months.

At home, he assists by taking his mom on daily walks and chipping in with making breakfast. He said massaging his mom’s sore arms, legs, feet and hands brighten her days the most.

“She’s done stuff for me my whole, entire life,” Connette said. “It’s the least I can (do to) pay her back.”

On the football field, Connette plays on, motivated by his mom.

“She wants me to work my hardest in everything,” he said.

The speedy 5-foot-10, 195-pound receiver signed in February with Division II Minnesota-Crookston, where he will join several other former county players – Aliso Niguel quarterback Nathan Cole, San Clemente linebacker Landon Cook and Mater Dei defensive back Mychal Traylor.

On his recruiting trip to Crookston, Connette looked past the freezing temperatures and saw warmth.

“The people are nice,” he said. “It was either them or (junior college). Saddleback College was reaching out to me, (and) Orange Coast. I decided Minnesota was the best place for me.”

Connette is following the track of his older brothers, Brandon and Simon, both of whom left home to play college football.

Brandon, a quarterback, played at Duke but recently transferred to Fresno State to be closer to his mother. Simon plays safety at San Jose State. Both attended high school at Santiago of Corona, Connette’s high school before he transferred to Orange Lutheran before his sophomore season.

“It will be good for him,” Allen said of Adam’s move to Crookston. “It’s a great, growing up experience.”

Connette arrived at Orange Lutheran with aspirations of playing wide receiver, but he made his mark as a versatile slot running back in the Lancers’ option offense.

Thursday’s all-star game will give him an opportunity to focus on receiver. But most of all, Connette will cherish the chance to dedicate a game to his mom. He dedicated a game to his father this past season.

Connette felt so strong about playing for his mom, he listed her as his source of motivation in a private, pregame questionnaire from the game’s charity chairman.

“I’m very happy I got selected for this game,” he said. “Just because of this one obstacle (with my mom), I can’t let that get me down. Life is going to throw everything it’s got at you. You’ve just got to stand up and face it.”

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com