Operation Christmas Child: an Insider’s Perspective

Phil Clark was parked outside his favorite bagel shop Saturday in Cincinnati, talking on the phone with a reporter about the underrated importance of sensation in the fingertips.

“You never realize how valuable that is until you don’t have it anymore,” he said.

It’s the latest thing his wife, Jacque’, no longer has. It’s the latest thing multiple sclerosis has taken from her. It joins a list that includes the ability to work, drive, walk and get to the bathroom on her own.

“Some people with this disease have ups and downs,” Phil said of his wife of 24 years, who has lived with MS for 16. “With Jacque’, it’s a steady decline.”

That’s when she beeped in on his phone. She wanted to know when their son, Michigan State senior offensive lineman Donavon Clark, would be home. Phil told Jacque’ that Donavon had to lift and pack, and that he’d be home by mid-afternoon.

And then, after their brief conversation, Phil said: “I told her the same thing this morning.”

Those are the struggles, so distressing at times that Phil belongs to a support group for caregivers. Here’s the reality for Phil and Jacque’ as they prepare to head to Arlington, Texas, to cheer the No. 3 Spartans (12-1) against No. 2 Alabama (12-1) on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal.

“We’re having the time of our lives,” Jacque’ said.

And the only child they were able to have, an underrated player and leader for a team that is two wins from a national championship, can trace his achievement to adversity. That’s an overused word in sports, an appropriate one for the Clark family.

“It’s been kind of hard over the years, dealing with my mom’s situation, my dad and my family sometimes have to make sacrifices for the better of her,” Donavon said. “But my dad has been able to come to every one of my games while still watching over his wife. It just shows you how much character he has. … What I do is easy compared to that. And my mom, I’ve learned so much from...