Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 MARCH 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Every night before bed, Mark and Erika Fisher made sure their son Blake was tucked in and ready to sleep. Then they'd go over to their daughter Breonna's room, but the circumstances to prepare her for the night were different. A virus attacked Breonna's heart when she was just a 1-year-old. Born a completely healthy child, Breonna's condition progressively got worse, and she was never able to talk or walk. Breonna was two years older than Blake, but it was the little brother who looked out for his big sis- ter. Mark remembers one instance in which he and his wife got their two kids ready for bed, but the next morning he didn't find Blake where he left him. "The next morning in her room there was a big, red oversized chair, and we found Blake curled up in that chair sleeping," Mark said. Blake was comforted when he could help out his sister as much as possible. While one of his parents would push Breonna in her wheel- chair, Blake felt that walking by her side wasn't enough. "When I would push her in the wheelchair, he'd prefer to walk in front of me to push the wheelchair, too," Mark added. "He wanted to do his best to be in control of making sure his sister was safe." Breonna passed away during the summer of 2011 when she was just 10 years old. Blake was 8. "It was a freak incident, really," Erika said. "She was born a healthy little girl. One day she had labored breathing. We took her in and so the story goes." Fast forward nine years, and Blake has gone from a little boy sleeping in an oversized red chair to a 6-6, 330-pound All-American offensive tackle and Notre Dame true fresh- man. But the caring nature of Fisher's heart remains the same and will for- ever be unchanged due to the legacy his sister left. Notre Dame followers know Fisher is the ringleader of the Irish's 2021 recruiting class. He loves to get the fan base excited whenever he learns of an impending commitment. Those on the Avon (Ind.) High football team rave about how funny he is and the leadership qualities he showed while in their program. "He has a great sense of humor," Avon head coach Mark Bless said. "He puts in a lot of thought behind things that are going on. He's a guy I will reach out to, to get the heartbeat of the team. He was selected as one of our captains, obviously. He knows [that] his next step after he leaves here is going to be all business." At Fisher's core is the most jovial, kindhearted young man one can find. He has been shaped by his rela- tionship with his sister. "His life was having a special- needs sister, and being in and out of the hospital," Erika said. "I think that really helped with the nurturing aspect of Blake and how he has a big heart for people. He's a fun-loving guy with a big heart." "I'll be walking down the hall and tap someone on the shoulder and in- troduce myself," Blake added. "You never know what someone is going through, and that's very meaningful to me. Someone might be having a bad day, and I want to brighten up their day." Breonna couldn't speak, but she and Blake had their own ways of commu- nicating with each other. Blake even remembers times where he would get upset with his parents and then go and vent to Breonna, who would smile at her brother's frustrations. "Their bond was like none other," Mark added. "Blake watched his sister even at times when we didn't know. We had in-home nursing ser- vices, and he watched those nurses like a hawk. Even during times when there wasn't a problem, he felt that Offensive Lineman Blake Fisher Has Always Been A Special Protector Ranked as Notre Dame's top prospect in the 2021 class by Rivals, Fisher is the first Notre Dame offen- sive lineman to enroll with a five-star rating from the outlet since Quenton Nelson in 2014. He could line up at either guard or tackle for the Fighting Irish. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER