Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY COREY BODDEN "Eat For Pops." That's the phrase Notre Dame de- fensive tackle Ja'Mion Franklin used to headline his senior highlight film. It's also the motto he's lived by for the past several months. The first weeks of September were a breeze for the Ridgely (Md.) North Caroline product. He was the team leader for a 5-0 squad that was out- scoring its opponents 47.6-5.0 points per contest. Life was going pretty well. One trip to the hospital changed everything. On Oct. 1, Franklin announced publicly that his father was diag- nosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer. "It was rough," Franklin told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "The night we found out was after another big game, and we blew the team out. We took him to the hospital, and we were just chilling and watching the USC game. They ran tests and then told us the news. "I was just shocked. It was one of the moments where your heart just sinks into your stomach. It was like, 'Did they just say what I think they said?' It was very much a slap in the face and reality check." Franklin admits it's easy to get caught up on being a Division I ath- lete. He was headed to Notre Dame, the talk of the town and playing great on the field. But hearing about his father was a "wake-up call." "It was definitely a turning point that I could come back to and be like, 'Hey, don't take life for granted and get off your high horse,'" Frank- lin said. "All of sudden you get smacked, reminding you to be hum- ble and get back on the ground. "… That was a setback for me mentally then, but I'm greater for it." Despite school, football season and the recruiting process going on, Franklin focused on his father and admired his fight. "My dad could have just given up and said, 'I can't do this,'" he noted. "He's been through chemo four times, and he's been up and down. He's kept fighting. "That stuck in my mind, seeing him go through it and knowing no matter what I do it's nowhere near what he's going through. … It's been an extra motivation and mental push." He had to learn to cope with the pain of his father's situation. "Before each game I prayed and cried," Franklin said. "I'm emotional and passionate about what I do. The first few games were rough. "I visited him before games, and he told me to keep doing me. Every- thing I did I was doing it for him. It made things easier knowing if my dad could he would be in the stands. "Every time I played they had someone record or livestream it, and I would point to the camera. I would call him before and after each game and tell him how I did." Initially, the elder James was in and out of the hospital, having to stay for treatment over long periods of time. Franklin cherished every second he got to spend with his father dur- ing that time. A video posted by the younger Franklin on Twitter when his father surprised him at school after coming home from the hospital early showed their bond. "It was crazy," Franklin said. "Ev- eryone was asking if that was a genu- ine reaction, and it was all real. It's not putting on a show for views. It was genuine love. I had no idea he was coming home." In early January, Franklin's fa- ther needed stem cells and/or bone marrow to aid in his fight. Franklin didn't hesitate. "I gave the greatest gift ever," Franklin explained. "I saved my dad's life, and I would do it 1,000 times more if I could. "At first, he didn't want me to do it because he thought it would impact football. I only have one, dad and football is going to end sometime. I His Father's Fight With Cancer Inspires Ja'Mion Franklin Franklin is rated as the No. 11 prospect in Maryland and the No. 34 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM