Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 NOV. 12, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED N otre Dame senior Dexter Wil- liams and I have something in common. The similarity be- tween a crusty sportswriter and a star Irish running back has nothing to do with breakaway speed, or per- severance, or a fight for survival, yet this story weaves in all three of those. In the span of only about one month last spring, doctors gave both of our mothers a tragic diagnosis and a life expectancy window that is not believed to stay open beyond five years, barring a miracle we're all praying for and holding out hope for. Williams' mother, Cheryl, is in her life's battle with two incurable ill- nesses — myasthenia gravis and pul- monary arterial hypertension. The first, which Cheryl Williams has been battling for about 12 years, routinely and randomly brings on almost stroke-like symptoms. This debilitating neuromuscular disease landed her in a hospital bed and on life support for three months in 2010. The latter is a rare condition that Cheryl was diagnosed with in the spring. It causes increased blood pressure in the lungs, making breath- ing difficult while sapping all the en- ergy from a person. Over time, this condition often leads to heart failure. At about the same time Cheryl Williams received her more recent diagnoses, my mother, Patricia, was found to have an incurable form of brain cancer. This cruel news wasn't fair for a strong woman who had al- ready beaten breast cancer multiple times. "I just continue to pray every day," Dexter Williams said of the helpless feeling we share. "And I will con- tinue to pray for your mom as well because I know exactly what you're going through." Mothers by definition are selfless souls. They are the ones who always put their children's well-being ahead of their own. Mine is that way, and judging by the sacrifices Cheryl Wil- liams makes for her son, she shares the same approach. The time at Notre Dame for Dexter Williams has not always followed script, and his mother was not about to simply stand by when her son strayed. Dexter had his moments on the football field through his first three seasons, but injuries and inattentive- ness often limited his production. In 2016, Williams was one of five Irish players arrested for marijuana possession during a traffic stop, and then he earned a four-game suspen- sion before this season for an undis- closed team rules violation. That's when mom stepped in, quite literally. Putting her own health concerns and medical treatments aside, Cheryl relocated to South Bend from Or- lando, Fla., before the start of the football season and moved into an apartment with Dexter to make sure he's staying the proper course, and that he's well fed. It's a symbiotic relationship that Dexter said both mother and son feed off of. "Just having her here has helped me out a lot and I'm pretty sure it has helped her a lot, too," Dexter Wil- liams said. "Having her here with me brightens my day." Dexter said his triumphant return to the football team this season has been fueled by a mother's love and a desire to erase the deep regret he felt during the four-game suspension. "During that down time, I had a chance to really just settle down and really think about what I wanted as a person," said Williams, who has himself back on pace to graduate in December with a degree in Afri- cana studies. "I wanted to be with my teammates, and not being able to take the field for the Michigan game [in the season opener] really hurt." It apparently really inspired him also. Williams needed only four games upon his return to become the lead- ing rusher for Notre Dame with 512 yards. His rushing average of 128.0 yards per game heading into the matchup with Northwestern would've ranked seventh nationally had he played in enough games to qualify, and his 6.9 yards per carry would've been eighth in the country. Master of the breakaway run, Wil- liams had also scored seven rush- ing touchdowns through those four games, including a 97-yarder against Virginia Tech, another 31-yarder in that same game and a 45-yarder ver- sus Stanford on his first carry of the season. And while the on-field production and again being one of the guys is gratifying for Williams, he under- stands that football only masks real life for a few hours a day, it doesn't change it. "It's tough watching her suffer through her health issues, know- ing that's your mom," he explained. "This is someone that you have always been with and you care so much for. "There is nothing like having a lot of love for your mother." Indeed, Dexter, indeed. ✦ No Illness Can Squash A Mother's Love UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com Senior running back Dexter Williams attributed his triumphant return to the football team this season to his mother's love and support. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA