Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
EAST LANSING, MI – During a person’s life, people drift in and out on a daily basis.
Whether it’s a life-long relationship or a chance encounter, a person’s persona is largely made up by the people they meet in their time on this earth.
As a star basketball player for the Michigan State University men’s basketball team, senior forward Adreian Payne has had his share of Sparty lovers drift into and out of his life during his time on the team.
He has touched the lives of so many people in the Spartan nation – a strong young man who was raised by his maternal grandmother in a rough part of Dayton, Ohio, who turned himself into one of the top recruits of 2010, a recruit that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had to have.
Payne did not disappoint and has been a key contributor in keeping the Spartans one of the top teams in the nation in his four years.
But it was one of those chance encounters during a team-sponsored hospital visit in 2011, when Payne met a little Spartan that changed his life, that he showed the world what is good in mankind, and what is great about sports.
During that visit, Payne met Lacey Holsworth, a little girl with a big medical problem. Holsworth, who was from St. Johns, was fighting neuroblastoma, a nerve cancer that was terminal.
Visits to hospitals by sports athletes occur all the time. It’s a great thing when kids and adults get a visit from some of their heroes – it’s a visit that usually brightens a day in the lives of those who need their days to be brightened.
But Payne, who is dealing the the daily rigors of being a student/athlete on a high-profile basketball team at a Big Ten school, took his visit to the next level.
He adopted Lacey as a little sister and took her places that every Spartan fan dreams of, like walking out with him on Senior Night or cutting down the nets in Indianapolis after Michigan State won this year’s Big Ten Tournament.
He also played games with her, colored with her, and bought her stuffed animals, just like a good big brother would for a sick little sister.
But Payne said that Lacey gave much more to him, a different perspective on life, and how precious it is.
One of those perspectives is that life can be cruel. On April 8, Lacey lost her battle to cancer.
There is no way a beautiful eight-year-old should be taken from this earth too soon, and there is no way a star forward who is getting ready to take his talents to the next level should have to deal with loss of a little sister.
But these tragedies happen every day and are dealt with by people worldwide. We were just lucky enough to see an incredible friendship play out and to watch as a sick little girl give so much strength to a 6’10” power forward.
Payne said the “Princess Lacey” will always be a part of his life. Thankfully, their beautiful story will always be a part of my life, and a reminder of why sports, and the athletes who play them, are so great.