My name is Lejarvis, but just about everyone calls me Jarvis. Ya but raised in Virginia, and I’m currently a high school teacher and football coach—two roles that mean the world to me. But behind the whistle and the classroom is a story that has shaped every step I’ve taken.
I’m 22 years old, and if you had asked any doctor early in my life, I was never supposed to make it this far. I was born with Sickle Cell Disease, type SS—the most severe form. Before I even learned how to walk, I was already being told I wouldn’t live past five. Then ten. Then fifteen. But I’m still here. Still standing. Still fighting.
Growing up, football was my world. I played at Liberty High School, pouring my heart into every snap and every play. But eventually, my heart—literally—had other plans. As Sickle Cell took its toll, I was diagnosed with heart failure. My heart has stopped three times. I’ve been on a ventilator. I now live with an implanted defibrillator that keeps me going—along with monthly apheresis treatments that require 10 to 11 bags of blood through a port in my chest.
Most people would call that a reason to slow down. But for me, it’s been a reason to speed up.
Football may have been taken away from me as a player, but it came back to me as a purpose. Coaching gives me life. It gives me a chance to give back, to shape young men, and to stay close to the game I love. Every day I step onto the field, I’m reminded of everything I’ve been through—and everything I’ve overcome.
What keeps me going isn’t just the fight. It’s knowing that my story touches others. It’s the moments when someone says, “Jarvis, you inspire me.” That’s when the pain, the fear, the long nights in the hospital—it all makes sense. Because if my survival can give someone else strength, then I’m doing something right.
My story isn’t just about sickle cell or heart failure. It’s about purpose, resilience, and refusing to let your circumstances define your outcome. I’m not here just to survive—I’m here to lead, to teach, and to leave a legacy that speaks louder than any diagnosis ever could.
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