T he heart sinking down to the stomach.

The nagging thought: Why did this have to happen?

Reading the news about 8-year-old Lacey Holsworth losing her battle with cancer, that gut-wrenching feeling is something so many of us shared Wednesday morning.

Like many Spartans I never had the chance to meet Lacey, but through her MSU fandom it feels like we all personally knew her. She was someone who was a third of our age, but three times the person we could ever wish to be.

You wouldn’t think a child watching MSU basketball from her seat could teach us so much about life, but then again you rarely are ever in the same building as Lacey.

This was a girl who was in a battle for her life everyday. She was fighting with a disease that no one should ever have to endure. But what was she doing nearly every minute of her time at the games?

Smiling.

A young girl who was endlessly fighting cancer found a way to show off her infectious smile, no matter how tough the going got for her.

What a huge sign of character for a girl so small.

As we all know, the basketball team full of her “big brothers” was a huge reason she was always smiling, and why we are all fortunate to all have known Lacey’s story.

It all started with a visit to the hospital, and it immediately grew when Lacey asked Adreian Payne to stay back in her room.

The two instantly developed a shared connection.

Her own “Superman” brought her to games, the top of the ladder while cutting down the Big Ten Tournament nets and into all of our hearts. The relationship between a behemoth of a basketball player and a girl half his size taught us all that there are more important issues than basketball.

Lacey and her bond with the team ended up being larger than any game.

Through basketball, Payne and the team were able to give Lacey something to smile about. In return, Lacey gave us all lessons to learn and an adorable smile to look forward to every game.

Lacey’s smile will never again be seen at a basketball game, but what she left behind as an 8-year-old is something we all hope to do in our lifetime.

She’s a princess.

She’s an angel.

She’s a reason why so many of us we all look at the world a little differently.

Thank you for living your life so beautifully Lacey, and may you rest in peace.

Matt Sheehan is a State News sports reporter. Reach him at msheehan@statenews.com.