8 weeks after suffering traumatic brain injury, Hewitt-Trussville student making small strides

Video above: Initial coverage of the accidentThe picture is so moving, so inspiring. David Pope sent me a picture of his son Grayson this morning. It's our first look at Grayson since his life changed.Grayson was supposed to be starting his junior year of high school today. Instead, he is sitting in a wheelchair in Atlanta. The picture is powerful and revealing. It shows us how far Grayson has come. It shows us how far he has to go.His desk at Hewitt-Trussville High School sits empty, waiting for Grayson to return. Mr. Butler is Grayson’s physics teacher- he reserved a desk for Gray this morning. #Pray4Gray and #Play4Gray the T-shirt reads, as they sit neatly folded on the desk. Grayson’s teachers and friends and teammates miss him so much on the first day of school.“We’ve been at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for three weeks now,” David told me this morning, eight weeks after the giant tree fell on the golf cart. The star baseball player suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was such a freak accident, such a life changer.The days are long for David and Jamie Pope. They look for any sign of progress as their son does his best to make strides. “Gray has passed three cognitive tests, and he has been classified as being conscious,” said David. “We feel blessed for the little things that we are seeing.”.Grayson Pope can’t walk or talk, and he has such a long road ahead. But it’s those little things that have kept David and Jamie smiling. “We dress Gray every day and sit him up in a chair,” said David. “Therapists are strapping Gray into a robotic walker to simulate walking." It’s the little things. Hand signals that say, “I love you” or a thumbs up that says, “Yes.” Moving both legs on pedals, opening and closing his left hand. Writing on a piece of paper even as he’s receiving nourishment from a feeding tube.Grayson Pope has a long road ahead, but David is optimistic. For while Grayson’s desk sits empty at Hewitt-Trussville High School, Gray sits in his wheelchair wearing a #PrayForGray shirt, doing the little things that give him hope.There's a lot of hope in Grayson Pope's heart. He's hoping his teachers and classmates and teammates are thinking of him today.Oh, how he wishes he was with them. On the first day of school.