Two high school football players put promising athletic dreams on hold to become full time teen caregivers for their single mother after a devastating medical emergency.
This incredible true story comes from Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver. Brothers Marcus and Draecyn Spearman dreamed of professional football careers since they were little boys. Marcus plays wide receiver while Dre plays on the offensive line. They both hoped college football scholarships would help provide for their family and take weight off their mother’s shoulders.
But last year all those big dreams suddenly stopped. Their mom Amy had a terrible seizure out of the blue and fell hitting her head on a metal shelf. Doctors told the single mother she needed round the clock care and would never walk on her own again. I honestly get emotional reading how Marcus responded. He told her, “That’s not true Mom. My Lord works miracles. You’ll walk one day.”
Marcus decided right then to leave high school life behind to care for his mom. “I always live by the theory: God, family, football,” Marcus said. “So I was like, things aren’t going well right now. My mom needs me, so I gotta take some time off.”
Dre completely supported this so Marcus would not get held back. Marcus missed most of his sophomore year and there were lonely nights where he feared losing his everything. But they worked as a team and Marcus literally carried his mother on his back to help her take steps.
God answered their prayers and Amy is walking all on her own today. The brothers are fully back on the football field where Marcus hopes to impress college recruiters. Dre still prays that if the Lord sees fit they will both play in the NFL together. Their head coach Mike Griebel praised their deep maturity and Amy proudly says her sons just love hard in whatever they do.
God intended for our families to stand united through every high and low in life. Sadly so many families today have lost that solid foundation with kids drifting away from their parents and marriages falling apart. But the Spearman family shows us what a household looks like when its foundation is built on Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 128:3 NKJV the Bible says, “Your children like olive plants All around your table.” Olive plants are known for their deep strong roots that anchor them firm even during harsh droughts and heavy storms. When our kids grow deep roots in faith like Marcus and Dre did, those roots hold the whole family together in both good and bad seasons.
Let our own families take inspiration from this story and serve as living examples of His grace and love to a world that needs it so much today.
Please pray for Amy and her continued health and pray for the Spearman brothers to achieve their dreams on and off the field.
WATCH: Two High School Football Stars Put Their Dreams on Hold to Care for Mom
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