College Football Player Raises Siblings After Mother’s Death
By Movieguide® Contributor
Michigan State football player Armorion Smith is taking on raising his siblings following the tragic death of their mother.
“His mother, Gala Gilliam, died of breast cancer a month ago and without a father in the family’s life, Smith has become the head of the household while studying criminal justice and playing major college football. He became the legal guardian for four siblings on Sept. 11,” the Associated Press reported.
Her GoFundMe shared a little bit about her battle.
“Gala has been a warrior for the past year and a half since being diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer in October 2022. Gala has fought so hard, and is continuing to fight. Gala has since had 2 major surgeries and many setbacks, including blood clots, infections, and a decline in her daily function due to the progression of her cancer, which has majorly affected her liver function,” her page explained.
Now, following her death, it’s up to Smith to raise his four of his younger siblings.
“My cards were given to me,” he said. “I didn’t choose my deck of cards.”
While Smith is at school for the better part of 12 hours, his 19-year-old sister, Aleion, is the one in charge.
“Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat,” he explained. “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.”
Yolanda Wilson, a close friend of Smith’s late mother, is also supporting the family.
“I’m going to be there no matter what,” she said. “That’s a promise I made to their mother. And they have everybody here backing them up. So, it’s going to be a hard transition as it is, but we’re going to be that tight-knit community and have their back.”
Smith is grateful for Wilson and the community that has surrounded them.
“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.”
“We’ve never had this much support in our life,” Smith said at a fundraiser for his family. “We always had to lean on each other. Being able to lean on other people [who] really care about you and feel you — genuinely coming from the heart — it just feels good.”