Young and talented football player Armorion Smith is garnering a lot of praise after fans witnessed his personal strength and resilience, in addition to his athletic abilities. After a tragedy struck the Smith family, Armorion became the legal guardian of his four younger siblings.
Armorion Smith is a defensive back for the Michigan State Spartans as a defensive back.
Prior to playing for Michigan State, he played for two years at the University of Cincinnati.
After Losing His Mother To Breast Cancer, Armonion Smith Is Trying His Best To Provide For His Siblings!
Raised by a single mother, Armonion Smith has shown the utmost resilience and strength during this challenging period.
At an age when he should be focusing on himself and building his career, he has taken up the responsibility of raising his four siblings.
Tragedy struck the happy family when doctors diagnosed Smith’s mother, Gala Gilliam, with metastatic breast cancer in October 2022.
Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, Gala was still not recovering and experienced blood clots, infection, and a decline in her liver function.
Armonion transferred from the University of Cincinnati to Michigan State to be closer to home after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
At 41 years old, her oncologist gave her a terminal prognosis, and she only had three to six months to live.
As a single mother raising six children, the news of her failed recovery and eventual demise disheartened the family.
Gala unfortunately passed away in August of this year, and her funeral services were held on August 19.
After her demise, Smith obtained legal guardianship of his four minor siblings earlier this September.
Fundraisers like GoFundMe really helped to support Gala’s treatment expenses. Similarly, GoFundMe contributions will now go to Smith.
These funds would help him to raise and provide for his siblings financially while continuing to focus on his studies.
As of September 25, the GoFundMe has reached over $140,000 of its $200,000 goal.
“Me and my family are very happy, very appreciative and grateful.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.”
Besides Armonion, his 19-year-old sister has also become the backbone of the family.
“Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat. 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.”
Armonion Smith
Despite facing an inconsolable loss, he has a lot of hopes for their future. Appreciating his sister’s selfless sacrifice, he wants to help his sister to start taking college classes next semester.
He opened up about his mother, saying,
“I can feel her living through me. Almost like I hear her voice telling me how proud she is of me.”
Armonion’s courage to take up the responsibilities of his siblings has undoubtedly touched everyone’s heart.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Besides his passion for football, Armonion Smith is pursuing a degree in criminal justice.
- He lives in a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with his five siblings.
