'He made me feel special'

Sept. 22, 2016
Macy Ray Brown waits for her favorite player, Auburn long snapper Ike Powell, outside the gates of Jordan-Hare Stadium after every home game.

By Jack Smith

Melba Brown needed a reason to hope.

Her then 7-year-old daughter was in critical condition in an Atlanta hospital.

It was her fifth hospital stay, and Macy Ray Brown had suffered from the effects of a rare kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome for six long and painful days.

Her kidneys were barely functioning, her eyes swollen shut. Macy Ray was drained from severe vomiting, and the fluid in her lungs and around her heart pushed her into respiratory distress. Her heart rate rose, and her cholesterol level soared to more than 700.

The sweet South Georgia girl, who loves duck hunting with her daddy almost as much as Auburn football, was in misery.

Macy Ray's father, Wayne, was asleep in the room at Egleston Children's Hospital, where they had gone looking for answers no other doctors seemed to have.

Melba Brown was curled up on a cot next to her daughter's bed, wide awake. And worried. That's when she saw a message flicker across her phone.

It was from an Auburn football player named Ike Powell.

"I just remember noticing I had a message, and I was really surprised when I read it," Melba said, tears welling up in her friendly blue eyes, which look like her daughter's. "I just could not believe that this young man had taken the time to send this and to pray for my baby. I literally sobbed as I read it over and over several times."

NephCure Kidney International chose Macy Ray Brown to be a spokesperson and honoree at an upcoming gala, the 12th Annual Countdown to a Cure, due to her positive attitude and courage fighting Nephrotic Syndrome.

Melba looked over at Macy Ray, who was finally resting peacefully after a brutal day of treatments, and decided against waking her.

"I didn't want to wake her and tell her," Melba said. "I knew she would be so excited she might not go back to sleep."

Macy Ray's mom was so excited, the night-shift nurses might have thought the message came from Cam Newton.

But it came from a little-known special teams player she'd never heard of, even though he grew up about 25 miles from their home in Ashburn, Ga.

Like most any special teams grunt with a job they only become known for when something goes wrong, Powell's jersey will never be for sale at the team store. The story of his special friendship with the little girl who stole his heart won't likely be told on ESPN.

But don't tell Macy Ray Brown that Ike Powell isn't a hero. He's her favorite player on the team, maybe ever. And how long has she been an Auburn football fan?

"Pretty much since the day I was born," she says with a grin.

Macy Ray's mother knew they would never find an Ike Powell jersey, so they had one made.

The young Tiger fan has worn the homemade #69 jersey to each of Auburn's first three games. And, win or lose, even when exhausted from a long day of tailgating and a four-hour game that saps her energy, Macy Ray still waits patiently outside the gates of Jordan-Hare Stadium to get a hug from her idol.

Macy Ray blushes a bit when asked how Ike became her favorite player. After a long pause, she put it quite simply.

He made me feel special,"

'Pray for Macy Ray'

Powell first heard about Macy Ray while visiting his home church in Tifton, Ga., which is about a 30-minute drive down I-75 from Ashburn.

He put her name on his prayer list and picked up a green bracelet that said "Pray for Macy Ray: Isaiah 41:10." He thought of his mother and decided reaching out was the right thing to do.

Powell had just gotten a letter from his mom on her birthday a few days earlier. The only present Nancy Powell wanted was for her son to do something for somebody else.

That's when he decided to reach out and ask if he could come visit Macy Ray the next time he was home.

Melba Brown saved the message Ike sent to her phone.

"Hey I'm Ike Powell, I'm the long snapper #69 for Auburn," it read. "I go to the same church in Tifton as the Cutts family, and they gave me this bracelet this weekend and told me about Macy Ray. I am praying for her ... let her know that she is tougher than me or any of my teammates!"

He went on to promise he'd visit when he could.

"I have weekends off so we could set up a weekend to come see her ... "

A few weeks later, Powell showed up at the Browns' home with a football autographed by him and several of his teammates. He spent several hours visiting his new friend and her family, talking about football, hunting and "regular stuff," as Macy Ray says.

His kindness did not end there. Powell and Macy Ray became fast friends, swapping text messages and making plans to see each other at Auburn's home opener.

Macy Ray waits for Tiger Walk during an easier time in her life.

Powell found his biggest fan in Tiger Walk and lifted her high in the air. Macy Ray just smiled the same big grin she somehow mustered in the hospital only months earlier when her life hung in the balance.

'Nothing brings her down'

"She is one of the happiest little girls I've ever seen," Powell said. "I've learned a lot from her, because nothing brings her down."

Powell said seeing Macy Ray's positive attitude in the face of adversity-misery, actually-gave him a new perspective on life. While he's still as driven as ever in pursuit of his goal of making it in the NFL, Powell now knows what real challenges look like.

He saw them in the face of his new friend who always smiles, even when it hurts.

"From the first moment I met Macy Ray, I didn't want to leave," Powell said. "She just made my day that much better. From that point on, she's been an inspiration to me."

And Powell has in turn been an inspiration to his own family. His mother, who helps run her husband's feed store in Tifton, said she couldn't think of a greater gift than seeing her children be kind to others.

"I've always tried to teach my children to do things for others," she said. "We're not rich, but we have so much more than many others have. The biggest compliment in the world for a mother is to raise a child that is thoughtful."

While his mother no doubt taught Powell the importance of being sensitive to people and the world around him, it's clear he learned his work ethic and family values from his humble and plain-spoken father, Dave.

Dave, who spent hundreds if not thousands of hours catching snaps from his son in the backyard, likes to remind Ike that playing ball for Auburn is not a right.

"Like I've told Ike, playing football at Auburn is a privilege," Dave said. "And you have to share it with other people."

Ike learned the values of hard work by watching his father run the feed store and by doing the less-than-glamorous work it took to keep it going, like stacking 50-pound bags of feed onto trucks for hours at a time.

It made him stronger physically and tougher mentally. It may have even put hair on his chin a little sooner than most. Ike started growing a mustache in seventh grade. Today, he wears a thick, unruly beard that is the envy of many of his teammates.

"I haven't picked up a razor since my junior year in high school," Powell said with a laugh.

Perhaps it's Powell's humility and his upbringing that make him a good fit at Auburn and a great friend for Macy Ray Brown.

Neither may be rich by some standards, but they are wealthier than most. Their friendship has become a special bond that has made each of them stronger and more appreciative of life's blessings.

Macy Ray has a hero she knows she can always count on to make her feel better.

Macy Ray's parents have learned the foundation of faith they gave their daughter has made all the difference. And now her rare strength and simple faith inspire them.

Melba has on many occasions found hope from listening to Macy Ray sing her favorite praise songs during long drives to Atlanta or elsewhere for treatment. She's also found encouragement in her young daughter's journal entries, written during the best and worst of times.

"This has been a very rough, long journey for me and my family but this journey is far from ending," Macy Ray once wrote. "There have been a few songs that have helped me keep it together."

Tissue angels at Toomer's Corner are always fun after victories for Macy Ray Brown, shown here in the days before she was diagnosed with a serious and rare kidney disease.

Two of her favorites are "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" and "Praise You in the Storm."

Experiencing a 'miracle'

The entire experience, from the dark nights of her daughter's suffering to the joy of seeing her face light up at Tiger Walk while once again healthy, has convinced Melba Brown there must be a purpose somewhere in the pain.

"There are too many people she has already touched in such a big way to believe any differently," Melba said. "Don't get me wrong. I would take this away from her in a heartbeat if I could. But I also know God calls upon his toughest soldiers for the toughest battles, and there's no one stronger than Macy Ray."

The anguish no mother should have to feel has restored her faith in people, from young men like Ike Powell to the scores of friends and even strangers who held up green candles in honor of Macy Ray on New Year's Eve and posted pictures of the moving gesture on social media.

"When I think back on the number of prayers and times that my baby's name was lifted up in prayer, in tears, in pleadings, it floods my heart and I can't help but be so very thankful," Melba said. "If everything physical that I owned today was taken away, I would not fear or worry, because when you experience a miracle in the life of your child, and you see your child's strength unfold and affect people in such a positive way, everything else is trivial."

Ike Powell has been in his share of battles. Tough, physical battles. But he's never been in the fight of his life like his new friend has.

It's taught him an important lesson. He's learned you can find uncommon courage in the places you least expect it. Like in the innocent eyes of an 8-year-old girl who has yet to complain a single time, despite some brutal bouts with a cruel disease.

'We take life for granted'

Powell, a bright young man who graduated from Tift County High School with superior honors, says he's learned another valuable lesson from Macy Ray.

It's sort of like a tip he uses to keep things in perspective, or even just before he bends down, aims and launches a perfect long snap with a tight spiral and crisp velocity: Don't overthink it.

"She has taught me that we think about things way too much," Powell said. "We take life for granted. Macy Ray is amazing because she always makes the best out of every situation she's put in, no matter how bad it is. That's taught me to make the best out of every day. We never know how many we're going to be given."