Sam and Charlie have been friends since they were 9. They met when they both joined the Stanford soccer club team: Charlie was (and still is) the goalie (but now, like Sam, plays for Palo Alto Soccer Club — they moved over together 🙂) and Sam played a number of positions back then but mostly defense.  They go to the same high school too: Charlie is a senior & Sam is a junior. 

Their friendship extended to a friendship among all 9 of us and the Merkel family has been a great support for us through many of life’s ups and downs, and especially since Sam’s leukemia diagnosis (Charlie’s youngest brother has been Zack’s sideline soccer buddy since 2014 too — he playing in the sand, munching on Pirate Booty 😋) and we joke that Sam is “the 4th Merkel” and Zack is the 5th (because once you have 3 boys, what’s 2 more? 😂)

Charlie was one of Sam’s first friends to visit him in the hospital too — friendship is medicine. ❤️❤️

#FULeukemia

#TeamSam