Two high school football players from Texas have gone viral after they were photographed praying together for one of the boy’s mothers who’s currently battling cancer, TODAY reported.
Following a grueling game that saw Sherman High School defeat rival West Mesquite High 56-27, Sherman player Gage Smith put off celebrating with his team and instead joined his opponent, Ty Jordan, back on the field.
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In a touching moment of solidarity trumping competition, Smith asked Jordan if they could say a prayer together for Jordan’s mom.
Last December, Tiffany Jordan, 42, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung and bone cancer. She’s been battling the disease ever since, which compelled Smith to share in prayer with who some would consider his athletic rival, but who he simply calls his friend.
“It was meant for just me and [Jordan] to have a moment and to pray over his family and for his mom,” the teen told TODAY . “I just wanted to let him know there are other people thinking about him and his family, and let him know he has somebody to turn to.”
Together, the two athletes took a knee on the football field and prayed, unaware that they had caught the attention of Smith’s head coach’s wife.
She snapped a few pictures of the pair as they prayed, which were then later passed along to Jordan’s aunt, Takka Jordan.
They were posted on Facebook and before she made them private on Tuesday, they racked up more than 100,000 likes.
Tiffany Jordan was also sent the pictures, which she admitted left her “speechless.”
“It made me cry,” she said. “[Smith] didn’t have to do that. The fact that he took the time to pray with Ty for me, that took my breath away.”
Her son and Smith have been friends for two years after playing on the same select 7-on-7 flag football team.
Smith said he learned about Jordan’s mom’s diagnosis through an online group chat.
“As soon as I saw that, I let him know I was thinking about him,” he explained. “Hope in a situation like this is a big thing.”
The teen also revealed that he planned on praying with his friend no matter what the outcome of their game against each other.
“During the game we’re enemies and we’re gonna play and try to win the game, but you still have respect for the other opponent,” he said. “I wanted to do that for him.”
The prayer couldn’t have come at a more emotional time for Jordan and his family, as his mom recently got some upsetting news.
At the start of November, Tiffany lost her job “due to [her] constant demand for medical treatment and frequent hospital stays.” Because of this, she’s also lost her health insurance and doesn’t have the funds to pay for her medications.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help try and cover some of the costs Tiffany must now shoulder on her own. As of writing, the page has raised $14,200, well over it’s goal of $5,000.
