A yellow bracelet and inspirational strength tie the Eagles’ DeVonta Smith to his biggest fan

Nicholas Purificato models his game after DeVonta Smith.

Purificato, a 10-year-old from Millville, became inspired by Smith’s Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, when the former Alabama wide receiver encouraged youths across the country to “keep pushing.”

After the Eagles selected Smith with their top pick in last year’s draft, Purificato instantly labeled Smith as his new favorite player on his beloved team. He even begged his parents to purchase him a No. 6 jersey in midnight green.

“DeVonta can do it all,” Purificato recently told The Inquirer. “It’s exciting watching him on the field.”

On Sundays, Purificato became infatuated with Smith’s ability to make highly contested catches. He’d often imitate Smith’s highlight receptions in the family’s front yard or during football practices with his local youth team. Similar to his role model’s style of play, Purificato welcomed contact and enjoyed tumbling hard to the ground.

Following one practice last fall, Purificato felt a striking pain in his right foot.

He knew this sensation was different from the typical aches and bruises he noticed after football games because the pain lingered. He complained to his mother, Amanda Bordois, and she took her son to the doctor. After a few initial visits and X-rays, doctors found nothing out of the ordinary with Purificato’s foot. They diagnosed him with growing pains and prescribed him with typical pain relievers, which temporarily relieved his issues.

“He’s a very athletic kid,” Bordois said of the doctor’s message to her family at the time. “He’s always running around. Always diving in football, always sliding in baseball. So they just said, ‘Take it easy on your foot because you’re doing too much on it.’”

However, over the past year, Purificato’s foot swelled enormously. The pain became so unbearable that he not only missed athletic practices, but also school. It worsened to the point that Purificato couldn’t even walk several feet from his bedroom to the kitchen. One morning, Purificato attempted to crawl to the bathroom as if he was a toddler again. His mother had seen enough. She took him to an orthopedic specialist, who suggested Purificato undergo a CT scan and an MRI.

In March, a series of tests and scans revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball in Purificato’s right heel, with additional lesions throughout the lower part of his leg.

Purificato was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. According to research from Johns Hopkins Medicine, about 225 children and adolescents are diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma each year in the U.S.

In Purificato’s case, the cancer was spreading rapidly. He needed to wear a walking boot and immediately underwent multiple weeks of chemotherapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. While he was stuck on his hospital bed, Purificato discovered that he required further treatment. Already down in spirit, his family found themselves at another crossroad. Purificato had to choose between undergoing radiation or having his right foot amputated.

“Nicholas was very upset,” his mother said. “This kid was getting intense chemo for two weeks straight. He wondered, ‘Why is this happening to me?’”

With guidance from multiple oncology experts, the family decided amputation of his right leg was the best — and safest — route to giving Purificato an opportunity to defeat cancer.

After she learned her son was about to lose his leg, Bordois sought support from family members and friends. Her sister set up a GoFundMe fund raiser to assist with related medical expenses. Another family member ordered yellow bracelets to support Purificato’s battle with cancer. During the chaotic weeks leading up to Purificato’s surgery, one friend suggested his mother reach out to Smith.

The family thought it was a long shot, but Bordois had a mutual friend with Smith’s personal trainer, Yo Murphy. She reached out on their behalf, and Murphy later connected Smith with Purificato’s family. At the time, Smith still was at his offseason home in Tampa, Fla., although he assured Purificato they’d eventually get together.

» READ MORE: Inside DeVonta Smith’s 5 a.m. workouts and how he embraces a future with the Eagles

Before the Eagles reconvened for training camp in late July, Smith hosted his inaugural youth camp in Haddonfield. The second-year receiver extended a special invitation to Purificato. Although he wasn’t able to participate in the camp because of his condition, Purificato spent time with Smith before the festivities began. During their interaction, Purificato gifted Smith one of his yellow bracelets.

In the weeks that followed, Purificato tried his best to keep up with Smith and the Eagles. Despite his looming amputation scheduled for the end of August, he’d often look up photos, videos, and articles — like a dedicated fan — about the team after each training camp practice. Reading and watching updates on the Eagles provided Purificato with inspiration to keep pushing.

Before the surgery in which his leg would be amputated to just above the knee, Purificato posed a question to his mother:

“Am I really losing my leg?” Bordois said of her son’s mindset at the time. “Then they wheeled him off, and it was a very intense 2½ hours of surgery. Once he woke up, he was still out of it because of all the medication. But he wakes up, takes the blanket off, and looks down at his leg.

“He just starts crying even more. He’s trying to grab his foot like, ‘Is it really not there?’ He’s crying nonstop. It was very emotional.”

The weekend following his amputation, the Eagles played their final preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Purificato’s family watched the game from the hospital room. To their surprise, Smith was shown on the broadcast — and he was still sporting Purificato’s yellow bracelet with the words “LOVE,” “STRENGTH,” “FAITH,” and “HOPE” inscribed.

“When you hear somebody’s story like that, you can’t do anything but want to be there for him,” Smith said. “You never know who’s looking up to you. Ever since we first met, I just always wanted to [stay] in communication with him. That’s my guy.”

Through their evolving relationship, Smith discovered he has plenty in common with Purificato. Outside of football, they both enjoy playing video games, specifically Call of Duty and Fortnite. They also have similar personalities; both typically are reserved while around strangers, but they love to crack jokes with those closest to them.

“You don’t get too much out of him,” Smith said with a sly smile. “But my guy Nick is a jokester.”

Earlier in October, Smith extended another invitation to Purificato — this time suggesting he visit him at the NovaCare Complex. During his trip to the team’s headquarters, Purificato interacted with Smith and several teammates, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Miles Sanders, and rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis.

“I’m physically stronger than him, but I’m not going through those issues — he’s so much stronger than me,” Davis said of meeting Purificato. “He’s fighting stuff I don’t have to deal with. To be able to put a hand on him, let him know he has a fan in me — that’s a very small way to let him know he can still be a kid and enjoy every moment.”

At the conclusion of the visit, Smith surprised Purificato’s family with tickets to the team’s game against the Cowboys on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

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“He’s still standing strong no matter what,” Smith said. “He’s taking it every day, going through it, being strong within himself.”