Carolina Panthers quarterback and Auburn legend Cam Newton is known for his Superman celebration. However, it was Panthers rookie linebacker Christian Miller, who played his college football at the University of Alabama, who became Superman to Northport’s Jaden Elijah Smith, who passed away earlier this month after a long battle with cancer.
A Christmas-day report from The Charlotte Observer powerfully chronicled the friendship that grew between Miller and Smith, explaining that the outlet came upon the story after Miller recently selected Children’s of Alabama as his cause during the NFL’s annual “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative in December.
Smith, 11, was a normal Alabama boy; he loved hunting, the outdoors — and his Panthers blanket, among other things. He was also bravely fighting Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
He was diagnosed with this rare cancer in October 2018, Miller’s senior season. Smith would subsequently meet Miller through Miller’s mother, Lisa, who worked with Smith’s father, Dwayne, at the University of Alabama. When Lisa found out about Jaden Smith, she and her two sons, Christian and CJ, made spending time with him a priority, according to The Charlotte Observer.
While the families reportedly did not connect until toward the end of Christian Miller’s time at the Capstone, the impression left on both the Millers and the Smiths was powerful and lasting nonetheless.
“Immediately when they found out about Jaden, they wanted to meet him and my family, so they came out and spent the afternoon with us,” Smith’s mother, Melissa, advised. “You would think we were all just a family. Jaden has adored Christian and CJ. They’re just great boys.”
Smith had an impact on Miller almost immediately. The then-Crimson Tide star raised money from his vertical jump at the NFL combine for Children’s of Alabama, the hospital Smith was at, in honor of Miller’s new buddy.
Over the next several months, Miller made a concerted effort to send messages and gifts to Smith at every possible opportunity. While seeing him in person was hard because Smith’s treatment schedule precluded visits and Miller was embarking on his busy rookie season in the NFL, the friendship grew even stronger from a distance.
“It was inspiring because he reminded me of myself,” Miller said before Smith passed away. “He’s biracial like I am. Physically, he kind of looks like me when I was a kid, but even cooler, he has a great love for the outdoors, he got into it even earlier than I did, I was later —probably middle school. He likes to do all the outdoor stuff, he likes sports … It just kind of just touched me, knowing how tough that situation was, knowing that just my presence or sending him a message, the smallest things meant so much.”
Miller and his family sent Smith care packages with Panthers gear and items that the team’s equipment staff helped collect. Miller would always include a personal letter with these gifts, and Melissa Smith shared that one recent note ended with Miller calling Smith “his little brother.”
That courageous boy took his Panthers blanket with him every time he went to the hospital, and it is in countless pictures. While Miller had a big impact on him, Smith left an indelible impression on the NFL linebacker, too.
“I can’t even put into words how much he’s been through, that alone is just like it makes me realize when I have my issues or my things that go on, it just makes me realize those are small things in comparison,” Miller remarked late in November. “He knocks it out of the park, man, he’s tough. A lot tougher than I am. I get a lot out of it, probably more than he does, he keeps me going.”
At Smith’s funeral this month, everyone was asked to wear something with a Superman logo, bright colors or camouflage.
“We aren’t mourning, we are celebrating,” Melissa Smith posted on Facebook.
From afar, Miller showed his support. He arrived to the Panthers game against the Seattle Seahawks that Sunday in a Superman t-shirt.
Miller reflected, “What a way to honor him, with him being such a big Panthers fan now, represent him as I’m coming in, have him with me in spirit. Again, just in his honor, he deserves that and I know he’s smiling down and it meant a lot to him.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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