Cleveland Browns cornerback, T.J. Carrie just proved to a brave 10-year-old that brighter days are in his future.
CJ DeJohn, who has been battling a serious heart condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, was a guest reporter for Cleveland.com and A Special Wish Cleveland on Thursday, interviewing players and watching practice with the rest of the media. During this special day, DeJohn met with Carrie, who actually underwent a risky open-heart surgery of his own at the age of 14. Carrie showed off his scar and explained that DeJohn can’t let a heart condition affect his outlook on life.
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“I don’t want you to ever worry about that, okay? ‘Cause you can still accomplish and do everything you want to do in life,” Carrie said, according to Cleveland.com. “So, I want you to keep dreaming, and make sure you dream as big as possible, okay?”
What an incredible moment between @tj_carrie and our Junior Reporter, CJ DeJohn from @aspecialwishcle, TJ: thank you! Video: @Browns. #Browns pic.twitter.com/PDhu2g0t4s
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) August 1, 2019
“Because my dream was to be right here where I’m at and there were a lot of people who said I wasn’t gonna be here because of my heart condition. But look where I’m at now. So, what does that mean for you? That means whatever you dream, you can accomplish. Don’t never let no one tell you can’t do that.”
DeJohn has been battling Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome throughout his life. This birth defect in which the left side of the heart does not develop properly in utero affects normal blood flow through the heart. It has forced DeJohn to spend much of his life in and out of hospitals, enduring treatments and surgeries in hopes of strengthening his heart.
His heart is far stronger after years of treatments, and now he is focusing on fulfilling his goal of becoming a sports reporter. During his day with the Browns, DeJohn interviewed Carrie, quarterback Baker Mayfield, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi.
Originally a seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders back in 2014, Carrie entered the league as a longshot to stick with the Silver and Black. However, he fought through and ultimately became a starter for the Raiders. Carrie signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 2018 and has since become a trusted figure in this defense.
As he explained, Carrie didn’t let his open-heart surgery hold him back during his journey to become an NFL starter so DeJohn should keep the same mindset.
