Unstoppable

CHARCANDRICK WEST has juvenile arthritis. Now he’s dodging tackles in the NFL.

- Timothy Gower

It’s a scene fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team know well: Charcandrick West crashes into a tackler, spins and breaks free, then shifts into high gear as he races downfield. Yet Charcandrick, now in his fourth season as a running back for the Chiefs, never forgets that he has faced a more challenging opponent: systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). It appeared at age 14, and symptoms became so severe that one doctor predicted the teen might never walk again, much less play football.

Charcandrick, 26, credits his family and faith with helping him persevere and pursue a career in the National Football League. “I feel like the Lord had a plan for me,” he says. “He got me here, and I was able to live out my dream.”

GLORY, GONE

Charcandrick was an energetic, outgoing kid growing up in Cullen, Louisiana. His first love was baseball, but then his mother, Demetrice, married Toccara Ford, who coached peewee football. In no time, Charcandrick was hooked.