Freedom High School senior Adam Recke tolerates a lumbar puncture every other week, but his parents have only seen him cry twice in his life.
Recke, of Bethlehem Township, has a terminal neurodegenerative disease known as childhood Alhzheimer's and is participating in a clinical trial of a medicine aimed at slowing its progression.
But he also tries to live the life of a normal teenager. Case in point: his dad Sean Recke says he already has senioritis.
On Friday night, Recke stepped onto the football field as part of Freedom's homecoming court while his classmates chanted his name. The moment wasn't lost on the teen or his parents, who watched their son blink back tears.
"It was awesome," Recke said Monday.
And it was repeated again Saturday night when Recke was crowned homecoming king.
Sean and Amy Recke were shocked when they learned their son had been nominated to the court. And they were floored when he won Saturday.
"The unselfishness of the students to vote for him was just incredible," his dad said.
When her senior class began nominating classmates for this year's homecoming court, Camryn Spina knew there was only one guy who should be king.
So, Spina Snapchatted, Tweeted and texted everyone she knew suggesting her friend Adam Recke.
Like many of her classmates, Spina has grown up with Recke. She's watched what his illness has taken from him.
But it hasn't stopped Recke from showing up to school smiling and saying hello to everyone he passes in the halls, said Spina, who has known him for a decade.
"He's been such a vital part of our class," she said. "Everybody absolutely adores Adam. ... He is just somebody we can all look up to for all he's been through and persevered through. He is the epitome of what we want to be as a class."
Freedom senior Connor Evans has known Recke since before he was diagnosed with the rare Type-C Niemann Pick disease. Recke cannot metabolize cholesterol and other lipids in his body, which causes them to build up in his liver, spleen and brain at toxic levels that destroy the cells controlling mobility and cognition.
Evans and Recke met in kindergarten at Farmersville Elementary School and they have a long-standing sports rivalry. Recke is a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan while Evans roots for the New York Rangers.
"Everything he does is so awesome and so warmhearted," said Evans, who recently wrote a speech about Recke for his public speaking class. "He gives his all to everything. I don't think anyone else really deserved it like he did."
Spina played baseball with Recke when they were younger and her family worked with the Reckes through the Race for Adam foundation. The Reckes are committed to raising about $50,000 annually as part of a a group of families funding accelerated research of the disease.
"We've been close forever," she said. "I think his family was really surprised that his class would do something like that for him. But in all honestly he totally deserved it."
Recke enjoyed the weekend in the spotlight, although it left him exhausted by Monday. He thinks he won for a simple reason.
"They did it because they wanted me to be the king," he said.
Saturday night at the homecoming dance the Freedom family cheered wildly when Recke's name was called for the homecoming court. And then it was revealed that he'd been voted king along with queen Shalyn Banas.
"When they announced the homecoming king everybody went nuts," Spina said. "And then a chant broke out: Adam Recke, Adam Recke."
His parents were touched at all the thought that went into making the dance a comfortable environment for their son. Recke is prone to seizures, so they made sure there was no strobe light on. And his homecoming court partner didn't leave his side, assisting him as he took part in the festivities.
The chant was the icing on the cake.
"It was really cool," Amy Recke said of the crowning. "It made me cry."
His classmates seem to recognize what he's had to endure, yet they don't focus on it, his mom said.
"They understand, but, yet, it is not a big deal," she said.
"Kids today are perceived as not being so kind and so generous and look what they did for Adam," Sean Recke said.
Evans agrees no other classmate was quite so deserving. Recke epitomizes hope and positivity, Evans said.
"It was just energetic. Everyone was happy for him," Evans said of the dance Saturday night. "People were yelling, screaming. You can tell when people are faking it. Everyone was genuinely happy for Adam winning that. He is part of the family. It is so genuine. He's a great kid."
Spina saw Recke leaving the dance with his parents Saturday night and she said he looked overwhelmed by the emotion of it all, which made her happy.
"Adam's very humble. I think anyone is surprised to win something like that," Evans said. "Adam was just honored to be nominated. Winning that made him feel like a million bucks."
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.