On May 20, 2025, Grayson Pope walked across the stage at his high school graduation. The straight-A student smiled as he accepted his diploma. It was a milestone moment — one his family thought they may never witness.

Almost two years prior, Pope was fleeing a pop-up storm while playing golf with friends when a large tree collapsed on his golf cart. The now 19-year-old suffered hundreds of brain bleeds, brain stem damage and swelling on his brain. He was transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, where he was comatose upon arrival.

“When Grayson arrived, his initial exam was very concerning, and we did not know if he would have a good functional outcome,” said Daniel Cox, M.D., trauma medical director in the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “We are aggressive in our approach to managing acute traumatic brain injuries so that we can provide our patients the best chance for optimal brain recovery.”

A CT scan revealed a traumatic brain injury. The pressure in his brain continued to rise, increasing his risk of brain damage. To quickly alleviate the swelling, Pope underwent a decompressive hemicraniectomy to temporarily remove half the skull on the side most affected by the injury. This surgery allows space for the brain to swell, while reducing his risk of brain death.

“The brain stem is the highest-valued real estate in the brain because it controls the most basic functions of the body, including breathing, heart rate and movement,” said J. Nicole Bentley, M.D., a neurosurgeon and associate professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery. “Microhemorrhages in the brain and brain stem typically mean that the patient will have a poor prognosis. In the early stages of Grayson’s recovery, we were not able to predict whether he would have any brain function in the future.”

Thankfully, the swelling started to subside, and Pope started waking up, becoming more alert and interactive a few weeks later. His care team then turned their focus to his next hurdle — Pope’s relearning how to breathe on his own.

“The first couple of weeks were pretty critical,” said Connie McCay, Pope’s respiratory therapist. “Our goal was to get him off the ventilator as soon as possible, so he could start the rest of his recovery process. Once he was breathing on his own, we transferred him off the vent to a trach collar to help build his lung strength back up.”

After Pope was beginning to breathe on his own, Bentley was able to put the portion of his skull back in and placed a shunt to continue to relieve some of the pressure in the brain. Pope was at UAB Hospital for 42 days before he was discharged.

“So many people at UAB played such a pivotal role in saving my son’s life,” said Jamie Pope, Grayson’s mom. “Gosh, I could name so many names; but I just feel like every one of them, Grayson was their only patient. And I know he wasn’t, but that’s how we felt. I am so thankful that he was there, because they saved his life.”

While no longer in the hospital, Pope had a long road to recovery ahead and was transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta. After months of rehabilitation, Pope learned how to walk, talk, eat and shower again, among other everyday activities. As he worked to gain his independence back, he set his eyes on returning to one place he had always loved — the baseball diamond.

Grayson’s love of playing baseball started at a young age and only grew over the years. He was dedicated to the sport and worked toward accomplishing his dream of playing for the University of Tennessee. Grayson had committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee a few weeks prior to his accident. It had been his dream since he was 5 years old.

In the months following his rehabilitation, Pope continued in his recovery. He learned how to drive again and used his passion for baseball to start working his way back to the diamond. On his senior night in April, Pope was able to make his first baseball appearance since the accident. While at bat, Pope was intentionally walked. He walked to first base on his own, an accomplishment that his family thought might not be possible two years ago.

“It’s just a battle, day in and day out,” Pope said. “There’s no time to rest. You’re always going to be fighting, whether that is to walk, talk, eat, breathe, anything. Your brain controls so much. You are in a constant battle. You just have to overcome it.”

Pope is attending the University of Tennessee this fall. He has joined the baseball team in a supporting role as he continues to work toward his recovery. 

“It has been very hard to adjust to the game now,” Pope said. “I am not sure if I am there yet, and I do not know if I will ever fully adjust and be able to play; but just trying to help others, that helps a lot.”

Pray4Gray Foundation

Pope and his family have used their experience to help other people and have established the Pray4Gray foundation to provide support, resources, prayer and education to families of young people who are recovering from traumatic brain injury.

“After Grayson’s accident, we wanted to give back to families who are going through similar situations,” Jamie Pope said. “When an event like this happens, the future can look very grim, and it can be difficult to hold onto hope. With this foundation, we hope to use our own story and testimony to help others and show them that there is hope for the future for patients who are recovering from a traumatic brain injury.”