HOUSTON — Former Muskegon Big Red Dametrius "Meechie" Walker and his family will love the Wolverines forever.
"We bleed the blue and maize out, baby," Meechie's mother Leona Bell said.
The Michigan football team went all out for Meechie in his last days when he was in hospice care. He had been diagnosed with a severe case of osteosarcoma, which forced him to have his leg amputated.
The Wolverines made him smile during the toughest part of his 18-year-old life.
They brought him to the Big House, signed him his own personalized Michigan jersey and even let him score a touchdown in Michigan Stadium.
"They brought back life to him," Bell said. "It’s just, I love everybody, man."
It left his mother in tears.
"I am blessed to have a son so kind and just willing to anything for anybody," Bell said.
Despite being gone for over a year now, the Michigan family is also willing to do whatever they can for Meechie and his family.
"We knew as soon as we met Meechie, we were going to be connected for a long time," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said.
That connection has not stopped and will not be shut down.
Harbaugh reaches out to his family on a regular basis, and several players talk to them frequently on social media.
"For them to keep us in their prayers and in their hearts, I am beyond grateful," Bell said.
However, it’s the Wolverines who are grateful to have known the former Muskegon High School student.
"It was just that infectious energy that he had that inspired us and, you know, put this jolt of appreciation into us for what we have," Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy said. "Just the ability to walk, the ability to play this great game, it puts things into perspective when you have guys like that motivating your team. Rest in peace to him. Absolutely love his family and I know that he’s doing great things even beyond his lifetime here on Earth. He's just an extremely inspiring figure that still continues to inspire us to this day."
He’s still fresh on the minds ahead of the biggest game of their lives.
"Meechie, his story, very inspiring," Michigan running back Blake Corum said. "You know, to the point of like you know even on my bad days, like dang it wasn’t as bad as his but you couldn’t tell you know you couldn’t really tell what Meechie was going through because he was just so strong mentally and physically. He did everything he could to live out each day to the fullest and so that’s what we should do as humans. No matter what we may go through, if we think it’s something big, you know, there’s people out there that are really going through tough times and they’re not acting like it. So why should we? His story is super inspiring you know God bless him, I know he’s looking over us."
He isn’t just looking over the Wolverines, he feels something great is about to happen.
"One of his last videos he’s said we are going to make it to the championship and we are going to win the championship," Bell said.
The Wolverines are in Houston at the national championship and sit just a step away from fulfilling Meechie’s proclamation.
"I believe in Heaven and I just know I will see my son again, and I know he’s happy," Bell said.
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