Fairfield athlete chases his dreams

One student-athlete at Fairfield University is making the most of his opportunities. What started with one Connecticut's couple's wish to have a family has turned into the story of one young man who has already overcome the odds and he is not afraid to chase his dreams.

Greg Chase, Fairfield University's freshman cross country star, is glad to be there. Not just glad to be at Fairfield, glad to be alive because for the first year of his life, none of that seemed likely.

"When I come into that last final stretch and my body's just dead I'm just thinking, 'You know what Greg? There's just a little bit left, you've gone through more,'" said Greg.

It's more than anyone could imagine. Greg was born Carlos Juvier Perez to a single 16-year-old mother in Honduras. Within a day, he and his twin brother were put into an orphanage.

"It's amazing [that I'm here]. I thank God every time I go to sleep and I say a prayer," said Greg.

The boys had been so badly malnourished, Honduran doctors didn't think they would make it past the next day. A picture of them was sent out to people looking to adopt. That's where Luann and George Chase enter the picture.

"We didn't have any biological children of our own and we weren't going to have any of our own. But we did want to have children and so we decided we might as well adopt. We have a lot to offer," Luann Chase, Greg's mother, said.

And, so they quickly agreed to adopt the boys.

"They said, 'We have two boys, they're twins. Do you want to adopt both or if you don't want both you could have one and we'll separate them?'" said Luann. "And we both said, 'Well, we're not gonna separate them.'"

But they had to wait a year before they could bring the children home to Bristol. So they visited and hoped the process would progress and the boys would live; it was an anxious year.

Finally they were told they could take them home.

At the time, the one-year-old boys weighed just 12 pounds and whatever teeth they had were rotted out. The Chases just wanted to get them home.

"We were holding them and knew it was over. We talked with our interpreter and said, 'When can we get out of here?' We had two more days to stay. We said, 'Get us on a plane. Get us out. What does it cost to get on the next plane and get out of here?' George Chase, Greg's dad, said.

"As soon as we hit Miami, we like kissed the ground cause they couldn't touch him," said Luann.

Due to the squalid conditions, Greg's legs never developed and doctors expected he'd never walk. But his parents and grandmother massaged and exercised his legs into walking shape.

"Yeah, I was never supposed to walk," said Greg. "Yet, here I am running on the cross country team. You know that's amazing and I'm extremely thankful for that...it was like me telling the world, 'I defied the odds and I'm here running.'"

Greg and his brother, Michael [now a pre-med major at UConn] have defied all the odds. Doctors didn't expect them to live, didn't expect Greg to walk and certainly didn't expect them to both be high school honor students and a college athlete. The boys know whom they have to thank.

"We've never sat down and said, 'Hey mom [and] dad, we're really thankful for everything you've given.' Cause we want to show it through our actions," said Greg. "When people say, 'Oh you have nice kids or your kids are doing great in sports,' or they read our names in the local paper, that's our way of saying thanks," said Greg.

Greg said he has success because he runs for others. His twin brother grew up with Asmtha so he didn't have the athletic opportunities Greg did.

"If I don't push myself to the farthest limits for him, then I'm letting him down and he's been with me forever so I dedicate everything I do to him," said Greg.

"They made the best of their opportunities they did have. They were meant to come here to us, I'd say. People say they look like me," said Luann and George.

Greg's parents tell News Channel 8 that when Greg went to Fairfield and his brother Michael went to UConn it was very hard for both of them to be separated. Although the boys say they'll never really be separated. No matter where they are, they'll always be together.