Penn State's Theo Johnson remains thankful for his mother's strength and courage

Nov. 23—Theo Johnson called it "an escape."

His mother called it "literally a matter of life and death."

Four days after her husband left on a work trip, Amy Johnson and her six sons moved out of their home with no place to go. That decision might have saved their lives.

"He (her ex-husband) assaulted the four oldest children and made the two youngest watch," Amy recalled. "He assaulted the four older boys with a plastic hockey stick. Shortly after that he brutally assaulted me.

"I realized that all the promises he had made, that the boys would wake up and find me in a pool of blood, could actually happen. It was real."

Almost 14 years later, Amy and her six children are doing well after initially overcoming homelessness and hunger. Theo is a starting tight end for the Penn State football team and thankful for his mother's strength, courage and guidance.

"I wouldn't be a quarter of the man I am today without her," he said. "She has instilled the best qualities in me: my strength, my perseverance, my determination, my competitive edge. Everything I do is for her and to make her proud.

"I don't know where I would be without her, but it surely wouldn't be anywhere good or near where I am now."

Theo, the third-oldest brother, was 7 years old in the fall of 2008 when his mother decided to take college classes near their home in Cambridge, Ontario, about 45 minutes northeast of Hamilton. Amy's marriage of 11 years to her sons' father had not been tranquil for a while, but his behavior worsened when she went to school.

"It was after that semester when everything became abundantly clear," she said, "that my marriage wasn't going to survive a four-year degree. It didn't, but I did.

"It was bad for as long as I can remember, but we found good things to hang our hat on. There were some particular events towards the end, and that's what resulted in the charges against him and his eventual conviction."

She knew that she and her sons — then all under the age of 10 — needed to get out of that house and find another place to live, but where? She contacted women's shelters and government social service agencies but with no luck. They had no immediate family in the area.

She finally called her pastor's wife and explained their situation. A day later, that woman had found a home for Amy and the six boys. They lived at a home owned by an older couple, who were going to be in Florida for the next three months.

But that was only temporary.

"I remember seeing a lot of people in suits and dresses," Theo said. "Nobody could help us find us a place to stay. We didn't know where we were going to go because the system is not built for families like ours. It's not made for families with six children.

"There was no one who could help us. We were searching and searching. We didn't know what we were going to do."

For housing or for meals. Amy didn't have a job, so she would wait in line at the local food bank and receive a bag or box with enough to feed three or four people, not seven. There were nights that she wouldn't eat so that her children could because they were "her priority," Theo said.

"It's a very humbling experience," she said. "I went from living in a suburban home with two vehicles to standing in line waiting for the doors to open so that I could get day-old bread and some canned goods.

"I really didn't give it much thought then. 'This is what I have to do to feed the kids.' I was always a good cook. I was very creative. I took whatever they had in the pantry and turned it into a meal. I stretched whatever I had as much as I could."

As April approached when they had to move, the Johnsons struggled to find their next place. They needed a four-bedroom unit, which would be difficult.

"There was this one co-op that was clean and nice and had a great reputation," Amy said. "They never had places available. I called and they had nothing. A week later they called and said, 'Are you still looking? We've had two units come up.' Magically, we got one of those units.

"We were able to move into a place that I could afford (with government assistance) and where we all fit. When I tell you we were on angels' wings, trust me, this couldn't be more true."

It was then, Theo recalled, that he began to trust in a higher power.

"Our backs were against the wall," he said. "God was there and made a way for us. Ever since then, our whole family has had really strong faith. When we didn't know what to do or where to go, we just said, 'God, we're giving this to you.' He answered."

Amy went on to earn a bachelor's degree in social development studies from the University of Waterloo while raising her children. Her schedule became even more hectic in the first several months of 2012 when she applied to law schools and studied for her Law School Admission Test.

Each weekday, she woke up at 4:30 a.m. and studied for her LSAT until 6. For the next three hours, she would help the boys get ready for school and feed them. She would attend classes in her final semester at Waterloo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. before going to her sons' football practices until 7. Then she fed them at home, got them ready for bed and studied until midnight.

"She's always been so strong," Theo said. "It's never been a question. Even when I was a kid and things were rough, I never questioned whether we were going to be good or not.

"If she was not as strong as she was ... if things went a little differently, my life would have ended up significantly different."

The University of Windsor Law School accepted Amy Johnson, who moved her family to Windsor in August 2012. She graduated three years later and has been a lawyer in private practice since then, specializing in family law.

Dominic, Theo's oldest brother, starred in football and basketball at Holy Names Catholic and then played both sports at the University of Buffalo. He's now a graduate assistant coach for the Alabama men's basketball team.

Theo played tight end and led the Holy Names Catholic football team to three conference championships. He was rated a four-star prospect and chose Penn State over Georgia, Michigan and Iowa.

He's played in 29 games in his three seasons with the Nittany Lions and has started 13 the last two years. He has 16 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns this season and is a powerful blocker for an improved running game.

He calls being at Penn State "a miracle" considering what he and his family endured.

"If this happened 100 times, I'm probably not here 99 times," he said. "I think me being here and my family all the way down the line being the people that we are, I think it's nothing but the work of God."

Theo often wonders what might have happened to him and his brothers if not for their mother's decision in 2009 and her steadfast determination.

"The kids needed me," Amy said. "They needed to know that they were going to be OK. I hope in the process they witnessed that you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.

"I appreciate everywhere I have been and every experience I have had because without them I would not have discovered my strength."

Theo said he and his brothers, ranging in age from 16 to 24, often talk about their past and about how they survived. Believe it or not, he wouldn't change much.

"I truly believe if I had a better upbringing and it wasn't as traumatizing and difficult for us, I wouldn't be the person I am today," he said. "I wouldn't have fought through so much adversity, which instilled traits in me to be such a hard worker.

"We're all strong-willed individuals and I think it's because of our circumstances. I'm grateful for the struggle because it made me much stronger."