Here we are. Bags in the car, dogs watching like they know I am leaving, wife making sure I have everything before I embark on a redemption trip. I am heading out—first to Memphis, then Mobile for Senior Bowl week and “Roadto Hope” with the Chris Hope Foundation. Feels good to be moving.
We’re On the Road to Mobile: What Hope Really Looks Like After Almost Losing Everything
June of 2022 in south Arkansas left a mark. A heart attack took my breath; the mental aftermath took longer to shake. Anxiety, low stretches, doubting if I’d ever feel steady. My wife stayed through it all—quiet support, walks with the dogs, listening when I finally opened up. Family in Memphis kept the line open. Those things kept me going.
Hope became practical: breaths to calm the rush, small gratitudes, talking instead of shutting down. Therapy helped reframe. Resilience grew because she was there, because her family cared, because the dogs just loved me as is. To some, this seems meaningless, yet in my house, hope is a way of life. I often think of what this journey has been for my wife, then I see the shield she has provided me, and I know it has been worse than anything I have endured. This, is why I have hope and want to give it back to others at every chance.
This trip is a marker. Mobile in 2022 was before; now it’s after. We’ll cover the Hogs—Taylen Green and the rest—practices, games, and their stories. We’ll share mental health bits, foundation families who hold on through cancer fights. Real hope, daily.
I’m not fixed. Some days are still heavy. But wife’s still my shield, dogs still here (three strong), family still close. That’s what carries me.
Follow along @4StarSportsM—short posts, videos, thoughts from the road. If you’re dealing with your own stuff, reach out to your people. Hope works when shared. Safe travels if you’re heading south, too. Let’s see what this week brings.
All of the written coverage is partnered with the Chris Hope Foundation. This non-profit, based in Memphis, Tennessee, helps families in need at LeBohner Hospital when times are bleak for their children in the NICU.
