Michigan State University football player Armorion Smith has answered the call for his family after the tragic death of his mother.
Smith, 21, became the legal guardian of four of his younger siblings following the passing of his mother, Gala Gilliam, who died in August of breast cancer at the age of 41.
Without a father in the picture, Smith became legally responsible for his brothers Armond, 16, and Avaugn, 15, and sisters Arial, 11, and Amira, 2, on September 11.
Smith, a redshirt junior defensive back for the Spartans, is also studying criminal justice while balancing football and his family responsibilities.
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“My cards were given to me,” Smith told the Associated Press in a story published Monday, September 23. “I didn’t choose my deck of cards.”
Smith is able to lean on his 19-year-old sister, Aleion, when he’s forced to be away from the young family’s four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
“Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat,” Smith said. “While I’m in college sports, she’s got to be able to take care of everything that I can’t do, like pick up where I left off, while I’m taking care of business.”
Smith has recorded two tackles for the Spartans — one solo, one assisted — as they’ve started the season with a 3-1 record.
The story of Smith and his family has been a rallying call for Michigan State, its athletes and their fans. A GoFundMe page set up in Smith’s mother’s name, launched before her death, has raised over $120,000.
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“Me and my family are very happy, very appreciative and grateful,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of love Spartan Nation has shown us these past few months. It’s been a rough time, but to be able to take some of the stress off of my shoulders and show me a lot of love is a blessing and has warmed my heart.”
In addition, two fundraisers — one in Lansing, near Michigan State’s campus, and one in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit — were set up by former MSU football players Jason Strayhorn and Sedrick Irvin to support the family.
When things get tough, Smith said he can feel his late mother “living through me.”
“Almost like I hear her voice telling me how proud she is of me,” he added.