A football player’s tribute to his little girl

UM Football: Angel on his Shoulder -The Clarion-Ledger- Real Mississippi

The sophomore is recovering from a fractured foot while playing with a broken heart. His 2-year old daughter passed away in March following a short lifetime of health problems. Hodge dedicated the year to her memory. So far, that’s 12 catches for 108 yards and his first career touchdown against Missouri, which he celebrated by raising a finger to the heavens.

It was a salute to a daughter who, he says, changed his outlook on life.
Shavareia was born premature, with a birth defect called Holoprosencephaly. Hodge’s mother, Victoria, described HPE as a disorder in which the middle portion of the brain doesn’t develop during the early stages of pregnancy. Doctors didn’t expect her to live past her first birthday.

The news was overwhelming for Hodge, who was just 16 when Shavareia was born. He and Shavareia’s mother were both young, so Victoria Hodge stepped in and cared for her disabled granddaughter. She taught her son how to be a father at the same time.

“A lot of people say it’s shaped me a whole lot because I used to be real childish and do stupid stuff,” Hodge said. “They say I’ve matured a whole lot. I’ve grown up a whole lot. It’s hard for me to see because it’s me.”

Hodge spent as much time with her as possible. He loved to sit and watch Shavareia’s favorite show, Dora the Explorer. She couldn’t talk, but always smiled.

Victoria continued to care for the baby when Hodge left home to begin college at Ole Miss last fall. Shavareia even got to see her dad play football a couple of times – always decked out in Ole Miss outfits.

Hodge went home every weekend, too, driving 2 1/2 hours to Morton to see her.

As time passed, the idea that Shavareia wasn’t supposed to be around long was becoming foreign to Hodge.

“I started thinking she was going to be OK,” he said. “But then it just happened.”

While Hodge was impressing the Ole Miss coaches on the practice field in March, Shavareia’s health was deteriorating. She spent time in the hospital. At one point, she died before being revived by doctors.

Shavareia battled for a little while before eventually passing away on March 17. Hodge got a call from his mom, telling him to come home without explaining why.

“They didn’t want to tell me,” Hodge said. “I didn’t think nothing of it until I got there and all of them were crying. That’s when it hit me. I knew what it was.”

Ole Miss receivers coach Hugh Freeze called Hodge as soon as he heard the news, letting him know the team was there for him. The coaches told him to take as much time as he needed. Family came first.