UT's head coach Butch Jones exits the field after a timeout while playing Arkansas during the second quarter of play on Oct. 3, 2015.Justin Guthrie remembers the "big" day exactly.
"Big" as in important, even dire; not "big" as in good.
"It was April 30," he told me this week like he was recalling a birthday or anniversary.
April 30 was the day Justin and Ashley Guthrie's son, Davis, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer that attacks his white blood cells.
Everyday occurrences can generate big concerns for the Guthrie family. Fevers mean trips to the ER. Calm days are reasons to celebrate.
Each day is a fight, a charge into battle as the family adjusts to its new normal.
"He's such a little trooper," Justin said of his son, who's a first-grader at Thrasher Elementary on Signal Mountain. "He's in the last phase of the frontline treatment, and it gets a little easier after that."
Easier, of course, is a relative term when talking about cancer.
The treatments won't be as intense, Justin said, but they are still a big chore.
Ah, big, there's that word again for the Guthries, who before they embarked on this big challenge filled with big steps and bigger faith spent almost every fall Saturday focused on the Big Orange.
Justin and Ashley each graduated from UT, and while he doesn't consider himself as big a fanatic as he once was, the allegiance is clear for all the Guthries - the parents, Davis and his siblings Jack, 5, and Thomas, 2.
So, last Saturday was another big day for Davis' big spirit. With a big assist from the Beads of Courage, a charity group that works with children with cancer, the Guthrie clan headed north for a full day of Tennessee football that included a special place along the Vol Walk - the pre-game parade of players and coaches - and field passes.
"That was the best part," Davis said of going on the field of the enormous Neyland Stadium. "That place is huge."
Jay GreesonHe looked at his father with big eyes - what else did you expect - and asked to run on the field. He got to meet injured senior defensive end Curt Maggitt, who at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds is the personification of big, and according to Davis' dad must set the family record for saying "cool."
Davis' spot along the Vol Walk allowed him a few moments with Vols head coach Butch Jones, an exchange that was every bit as meaningful for the Big Orange boss as it was for Davis, who almost assuredly described it as cool.
"It really set the temperament for my day. It meant everything to me to shake his hand and give him a hug and see that big smile on his face," Jones said before leading the Vols to a 27-24 win over South Carolina. "You know we get caught up in our own little world, and getting to spend some time with someone like Davis really puts everything in perspective.
"It was a very rewarding day for me, and Davis was a very big part of it."
Yep, for a day at least, Davis Guthrie felt like the "biggest" first-grader in town.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. His "Right to the Point" column appears on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jgreesontfp.