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In Sept. 2006, William Portnoy was playing football at the Landon School with the rest of his third grade classmates.

After a particularly painful tackle, he thought he had broken his leg.

Two years, months of chemotherapy and several surgeries later, it's clear he did not have a broken leg.

William, now 10, will be honored this Saturday at the Children's Hospital's Festival of Heroes in North Bethesda for his positive attitude and infectious smile while dealing with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer.

"I just try and forget about that part of my life," William said. "I really just put it in the back of my mind and don't think about it."

For those around him during his chemo and surgeries, though, it may be tough to forget.

Only about 400 people under age 20 are diagnosed with William's form of bone cancer each year, said Nita Seibel, the oncologist who treated him during his stay at the Children's Hospital. About 70 percent of patients are cured.

And while Seibel, who is the mother of a Landon student herself, sat through William's nine months of chemo cycles hoping for a positive outcome, William kept a smile on his face.

"He had a great attitude and that is so important going through this," she said. "Obviously at that age it's very hard to understand what's happening, but William stayed positive."

The Festival of Heroes, now in its second year, is a fundraiser for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the hospital. Dani Beyda, event coordinator for the Children's Hospital Foundation, said William just fit the foundation's definition of a hero.

"With his strength and positive attitude, he epitomized what we want a hero to be," she said. "He's just an absolute joy to know."

While in the hospital, not every day was bad, William said. Sure there were the aches and pains and the sickness from the chemo, but there were some bright spots as well, like meeting the Queen of England, Laura Bush, and a host of Washington Redskins and Capitals.

Once, while playing the videogame Madden Football, William was visited by Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs. As the star was leaving, William called him back into the room.

"When he left I yelled for him to come back," William said. "I had just gotten an interception [while playing with the Shawn Springs character] in the game."

William hasn't only served as an inspiration in the hospital, though. At Landon, his classmates treat him like every other student, said Marcos Williams, head of the lower school.

"It's very interesting to watch an all-boys environment wrap around their classmates," he said. "There is a fair amount of empathy, a closeness, and his classmates include him as much as he wants to be included."

Since his chemo and surgeries, William, who lives in Washington D.C., has had a prosthesis implanted in his leg to take the place of the bone removed during a surgery. He also has his leg "grown" occasionally, using medical technology, so his one leg isn't shorter than the other.

A normal 10-year-old who loves watching Sportscenter and playing every sport under the sun, he now walks with a slight limp. His goal, he says, is simple.

"I want to run again," he said.

This past baseball season, his mother Allison said William stole a base in his little league game headfirst, because he can't slide with his legs.

"When I asked him why he stole a base, his answer was very simple," she said. "‘Because I can.'"