It was three weeks ago that he knocked on the girl's bedroom door.
The Alabama football star drove from Tuscaloosa to the girl's home in Trussville on May 5, 2024, to remind the 11-year-old girl in in-home hospice care that he loved her. He brought her a bouquet of roses and hugged her tight.
He prayed that it wouldn't be the last time he would see her.
He met her six years ago. Malachi Moore, a senior at Hewitt-Trussville High School, had just committed to the Crimson Tide football team. He was speaking to his mother, Penny,'s kindergarten class at Payne Elementary School. When the future Alabama star looked around the room, it was a 5-year-old girl who warmed his heart.
Her name was Henrietta and she was legally blind.
Malachi Moore lay in bed on May 5, knowing that Henrietta Murray was near death. He and Henrietta talked about how they met and fond memories of the game against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They both inhaled the scent of roses and found comfort in their hearts.
“I want Malachi to carry my coffin at my funeral,” Henrietta told her father, Ben, after Moore had left.
It's all about the eyes. It's all about watching the eyes of the quarterback and receivers. For defensive backs, it's all about the eyes of the other guy. In the spring of 2018, Malachi Moore couldn't take his eyes off a little girl who, at age 3, had been diagnosed with binocular optic atrophy, and who could see shadows but little else.
The spring of 2018 came and went, but when football season arrived, Malachi couldn't keep Henrietta off his mind. He was a big-time freshman at the University of Alabama, but he needed to play one more season at Hewitt-Trussville High School before going on to college. But on Nov. 10, 2018, the weekend of the Alabama vs. Mississippi State football game, Malachi shared some good news with a friend: The Alabama freshmen who were watching the game were allowed on the sidelines with one guest.
Malachi knew who to invite.
On that November day in 2018, she stood on the sidelines at Bryant-Denny Stadium, surrounded by giants. She could see the shadows, hear the cheers, feel the vibrations as Alabama thumped the Bulldogs, 24-0. Her heart was pounding, and when she met Coach Saban after the game, her friendship with Malachi strengthened. “Henrietta followed Chii avidly after Malachi took her to the game,” Henrietta’s mother, Maria, told me.
On May 14, Malachi visited Henrietta again at her request.
“Henrietta suffered from mitochondrial disease,” Ben told me, “a disease that affects the cells of the body. The disease causes low energy and organ dysfunction, affecting the heart, kidneys, and even the brain.
“Malachi brought Henrietta a football autographed by him and Coach Saban,” Ben said. “Malachi and his parents, Torrey and Penny, were at Henrietta's bedside. We tried to wake her up so she could touch the football, but she was dying.”
The day after Malachi Moore gave Henrietta a special football and a loving hug, his friend passed away on May 15, 2024. Four days later, he served as a pallbearer at Henrietta's funeral.
This fall, Malachi Moore will carry memories of Henrietta into his final season with the Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, Ben and Maria Murray will forever have memories of the future first-round NFL draft pick growing close and loving towards their child. They will never forget Henrietta's zest for life, her love for Malachi and her loyalty to the Crimson Tide.
What about the rest of us?
We can all relate to the beautiful relationship between two unlikely friends.
A relationship that didn't last long.
It was a beautiful relationship to see.
Rick Carl, who writes a weekly “good news” article, is a 25-time Emmy Award winner and 43-year broadcast news veteran who has lived and worked in Alabama for the past 35 years. Send story suggestions to: Rick CarlGoodNews@Gmail.com
