Maternal love: A blind woman of 17 goes to the stadium to support her son, a football player

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Whenever Deandre Hopkins' team plays at home, his mother, Sabrina Greenlee, sits in the same place. Surrounded by his two daughters, close enough to the pitch to hear the ball hitting the lawn. Before the start of the match, Sabrina freezes and waits for her son to come out. He always goes last. When he emerges from the tunnel, Mother Deandre's eyes, the color of a cloudy sky, simply flash. Sabrina Greenlee cannot see her son - her eyes have not seen for 17 years, but she knows that he is there.

Long seventeen years. That's how long it's been since the accident that split the lives of Sabrina Greenlee and her family in half. Before and after.

Deandre was only ten at the time. Greenlee was a single mother living in South Carolina. After prolonged treatment, the vision partially returned to Sabrina. But a few years ago she was struck by absolute blindness. It was at this time that her beloved son became one of the brightest stars in the NFL. Mom is his hottest cheerleader. “I imagine everything he does,” she says.

With the game in full swing, Greenlee's youngest daughter, Shantarria, pulls up her hood and leans over to her mother, whispering the description of the game in her ear. Sabrina is not enough of a sports commentator, she wants to know all the details: how Deandre ran, whether he caught the ball, if not, then why.

When Deandre's team is close to scoring a goal, Sabrina straightens up, squeezing Shantarria's hand. The audience is tense in anticipation, the rumble of impatient voices is heard from all sides. If the son scores a goal, Greenlee, with the help of his daughter, approaches the fence and bends over so that Deandre can serve her the ball. This ritual is very important for mother and son. He tells everyone that even though Hopkins's mom cannot see, Deandre sees her. It is very important for him that the whole world sees his mother too.

Sabrina says: “Yes, I have not always been a good mother and role model. But my son loves and respects me so much that he allows everyone to see how he gives me the ball. This ball symbolizes much more than people can understand."

A small town in South Carolina, Clemson still remembers the little boy everyone called Nook. Deandre was very fond of chewing pacifiers as a child, by the name of the brand ("Nuke") that produced them, he was nicknamed that. Nook was a very quiet and reserved child. When he was five years old, his godmother, Frances Hicks, threw a party in honor of his birthday. The holiday was not very successful, as the birthday man simply disappeared. Frances had a hard time finding him, sitting alone on the steps.

Hopkins' father died in a car accident when he was very young. Mom Deandre met Steve when she was 19 years old. She says he was something of a drug lord in their region. Before his death, Steve Hopkins was convicted of drug trafficking and had to spend the next several decades in prison. Deandra was told the truth about his father by his grandmother when he was six years old. The boy really missed him, he envied other children that they all have dads. Absolutely not remembering his father and not knowing him, he inherited many of his habits and is very much like him.

When Deandre and his sisters were young, their mother worked two jobs to feed them. During the day she worked at a car factory, and at night she moonlighted as an exotic dancer. The godmother often stayed with the children, and the rest of the time they were on the street. Where, unfortunately, they regularly witnessed the sale of drugs and armed clashes.

On the street, Deandre, Kesha and Shantarria played a lot of football with other children. According to Deandre himself, his sister was cooler in football than all the neighboring boys. As Deandre grew up, it became abundantly clear that he possessed a rare gift. He was eight when he started playing in the league.

Deandre recalls that other mothers just sat on the benches, and his mother ran around the sideline of the field, shouting at the judges. She was always on the field, did not miss a single match of her son. The coach was highly regarded by Deandre and was considered a very capable, promising player. And they were right.

Sabrina was left alone with three children in her arms when she was only 23 years old. She did not give up, did not give up. She did everything she could for her children. Thanks to her ability to work and thrift, the woman was able to save enough money to buy a house for the family. There was a driveway that the kids turned into a basketball court.

Everything would be good in their life, but as Greenlee herself says, she never knew how to choose men. All the men in her life, except for Hopkins, whom she calls "infinitely kind and loving," have offended her. Relationships that Sabrina now calls nothing other than "poisonous" are no exception.

The man she had been dating for several months regularly bullied her. Her youngest son often witnessed these ugly scenes. One morning on July 20, 2002, Sabrina woke up to find her car missing. It was obvious that her boyfriend had stolen the car. Greenlee went to his house to find out. During their conversation, an angry woman jumped out of the man's dwelling and splashed something in Sabrina's face.

It was not immediately clear what it was. Greenlee recalls that she did not understand why she was doused with warm water, and she was in so much pain. After that, Sabrina only remembers how a white veil fell over her eyes.

She was in a coma for a long time. Doctors fought for her life. Sabrina has undergone many skin grafts. Deandre recalls how awful it was to think that Mom would never come home. The woman who attacked Greenlee was sentenced by the court to 20 years in prison. Her boyfriend was completely acquitted. While Sabrina was being treated, Francis Hicks was with her children. When the woman was finally discharged and she came home, her daughter Shantarria opened the door. She recoiled in horror and ran away, mistaking her mother for a ghost. It just broke Sabrina's heart, Hicks recalls.

The woman's face was completely burned, she could hardly see. Deandre was then ten years old. He could not believe that this was not a bad dream and that his mother would always remain like that. And the worst thing that occurred to him, and he was very afraid to ask about it: will his beloved mother never see him play again?

It was very difficult for Sabrina. She moved with great difficulty. I left the house only to see a doctor. From despair and despair, the woman began to drink. As she herself tells about that time: “I finally plunged into endless spiritual darkness. My children really needed me then. And I let them down.”Greenley could no longer work, and the money was needed. She began to interrupt occasional part-time jobs. Her vision then partially returned to her and she could look after other people's children. Sabrina even started selling drugs. She herself recalls that time with horror and shame.

Sabrina really wanted to attend Deandre's matches. The first time she tried to wrap her face with bandages and so she went out into the street. She was very hurt by the fact that people were looking at her, whispering behind her. Some even openly laughed at her. Sabrina has stopped coming out altogether.

It took a very long time for the woman to be able to conquer her fears. She was helped by the image of her son performing acrobatic feats on the field. Greenlee considered herself a terrible monster. She didn't want to frighten her son and interfere with his game.

After graduating from high school, several colleges simply fought over the opportunity to get themselves Hopkins. His coach said of Deandre: “He is as good as you can imagine. It is definitely a gift from God.”Hopkins rejected all offers and remained in Clemson. He told everyone that it was not at all because of his mother, but everyone knew perfectly well that this was a lie. Deandre took care of the family. Thanks to his unconditional love, Sabrina not only found herself anew, she also found her calling in this life.

Sabrina Greenlee founded a charitable foundation to help survivors return to their normal lives. While Deandre has already played in the NFL, the organization has taken the initiative that players can wear custom-made boots to promote charitable ideas.

Hopkins wore pink and blue boots (in the colors of his mother's foundation logo) with the words “End of Abuse” written on it. With such inscriptions, he also wore caps. Deandre helps the foundation. She meets with women who go there. He also gives lectures to schoolchildren. Tells about his experience, about his life.

The foundation has already helped many survivors to start a new life. Sabrina says: “I want to reach out to everyone who suffers from these kinds of things. You don't need to stay there. I'll help you get out of it all. Just listen to me. Just follow my directions. I tell each of you: after darkness is light.”Greenlee and her daughter Kesha now live in Houston. Shantarria is attending college in North Carolina. She also plays football and plans to create a league for girls.

Deandre describes the difficult years in his life as follows: “It helped me to learn a lot about life, to become a man. Thanks to this, I became who I am. " He says about his mother: “Our bond is indestructible. This is a very close relationship. She is probably one of the funniest people I know. It definitely makes even the room where it is present brighter."

Since the attack, Greenlee has had over 20 surgeries on each of her eyes, including a corneal transplant. Some of the procedures worked for a short time, but her vision completely disappeared a few years ago, so she missed most of her son's NFL career. This thought no longer plunges her into existential despair.

“It was a time when I was gaining courage and he was in high school,” explains Sabrina. “I remember Deandre saying, 'I just want you to be there.' So if I am there and I am present and I am alive … that is ultimately all he wants. He doesn't care what I don't see. The main thing is that I am there.”Therefore, she goes to all the home games, sitting in the same place, trying her best to come up with a mental image of Deandre, using the words of her daughters. And he also visualizes his mother. “I always imagine her, whenever I score a goal, her reaction,” he says. “And sometimes when I drop the ball, I say, 'Damn it. I let my mom down."

For more stories about how blind people do what the sighted cannot do, read our article. a fulfilling life in the dark.