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Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope, center, fist-bumps his teammates before the start of a game against Oak Mountain at Phil English Field.
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Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope, center, alongside head coach Jeff Mauldin, shakes hands with the umpires and Oak Mountain head coach Derek Irons before the start of a game at Phil English Field.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope (3) watches from the dugout.
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Photo by James Nicholas.
Pope is honored before a game against Thompson High School in October 2023 at Hewitt-Trussville’s football stadium.
David Pope often had talks with his son, Grayson, as he grew up — the foundational discussions every respectable father has with his boy.
Do right. You must be willing to sacrifice to achieve something you want. Never give up. If your goals hold steady, the work should, too.
For four days while Grayson Pope was in the Shepherd Center in Atlanta — just four out of 67 days of grueling physical therapy, vocal cord work, game play and dozens of visits — he sulked. There to recover from a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull, bleeding and swelling on the brain, bruised lungs and other cuts from a June 6, 2023, freak accident at Trussville Country Club, Grayson Pope spent four days not wanting to get out of bed. He would write “Put Gray in bed” and “Gray wants to go to bed” on his whiteboard.
After four days, he was done with stillness.
“He was like, ‘Let’s go,’” David Pope said. “‘I don’t want to get back in that wheelchair. I want to walk.’ So, just grit and determination.”
David Pope wishes he knew what clicked for his son during those four days. Maybe it was the lessons learned growing up. Maybe it wasn’t. Either way, David Pope is thankful that something clicked.
That freak accident occurred last summer when a popup storm uprooted a tree near the 16th green. It crashed atop the golf cart Grayson Pope was driving. He was knocked unconscious, but four friends there, most of them Hewitt-Trussville baseball teammates, applied necessary pressure and used Siri to call 911 from a wet cell phone.
Hewitt-Trussville head baseball coach Jeff Mauldin was en route to Houston, Texas, when the accident happened.
“It’s got to be one of the toughest things coaches, players and our program has dealt with that I’ve been a part of in 25-plus years,” Mauldin said. “Again, he’s a walking miracle right now.”
Grayson Pope was transported to UAB Hospital, where he underwent a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on his brain. After one week, the ventilator he was on was replaced with a tracheostomy. After a month at UAB Hospital, he began to follow commands, albeit in a semi-conscious state. On July 11, 2023, he underwent a cranioplasty to replace the piece of skull that had been removed a couple days after the accident.
Next came the 67 days at the Shepherd Center, which provides rehabilitation for patients with brain and spinal injuries, from July 18 to Sept. 22, 2023. On the day he left, Grayson Pope walked out on his own. A walking miracle.
The Popes then moved into an Atlanta apartment while Grayson Pope attended therapy at Pathways. On Nov. 18, the Popes returned to Trussville. Grayson Pope returned to school in January and attended every Hewitt-Trussville baseball game this spring.
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope, center, alongside head coach Jeff Mauldin, shakes hands with the umpires and Oak Mountain head coach Derek Irons before the start of a game at Phil English Field.
David Pope and his wife, Jamie, felt a range of emotions as the 2024 baseball season began. It was heartbreaking to see their son unable to play, but at the same time, it was wonderful that he was even there to see a game.
“He is still obviously in the dugout and talking to the guys, and I think he gave a couple pregame speeches, trying to get them fired up,” David Pope said. “But I think on this side of it, he’s very grateful for everybody and everything they’ve done. You can see that difference in him.”
A graphic was added to the left-field fence at Phil English Field this spring, a smiling face with “No Fly Zone” printed along with it. Grayson Pope had written that on his glove. You can see that bright pink graphic from Interstate 59.
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope (3) watches from the dugout.
Grayson Pope threw out first pitches at Alabama and Tennessee baseball games. The “Prayers for Grayson Pope #pray4gray” Facebook page boasts more than 8,700 followers. The Pray4Gray Foundation was founded, with plans to provide financial support for families who have gone through similar tragedies resulting in traumatic brain injuries.
“I think the biggest thing is no one really knows how hard it really was on us as a family,” David Pope said. “But then how extremely grateful we are as a family. So, both of those, and it gets easier every day, but it also gets harder every day. And we’re in it for the long haul.”
Grayson Pope still goes to physical, occupational and speech therapy every week. As June 6 this year approaches, marking one year since the accident, David Pope speculates on how he will feel.
Photo by James Nicholas.
Pope is honored before a game against Thompson High School in October 2023 at Hewitt-Trussville’s football stadium.
“Man, I imagine it’s going to be pretty rough around my house for my wife and I, for sure,” he said. “But then also, it’s going to be kind of a bittersweet thing because there’s also so much to be thankful for. I think if we focus on that, that could be a really happy day. He’s here and he’s overcome so much.”
