ESCONDIDO ---- Colin Grove was only 8 when it happened. His father, Kent,
was driving home from a job site in Bullhead City, Ariz., where he ran a
land development company. He took a freeway curve too fast and flipped the
car.
"What I remember," Colin said, "is going to the hospital and seeing a
sign that said children had to be 12 to get into his room. I cried, and
asked my mom (Chris) if I had to wait four years to see my dad."
The accident broke Kent Grove's neck and left him a quadriplegic. And
while the tears of the son and his wheelchair bound father still flow
freely, the accident only cemented a bond that was already strong.
Kent and Chris Grove have five children ---- Heather, Kiersten, Geoff,
Darci and Colin, the latter a senior basketball player at Escondido High.
When Colin graduates the Grove children will have earned 32 varsity letters
at the school.
"All my children are special, but I've been hurt more than half of Colin's
life," Kent Grove said. "It takes two people to get me up, get me ready
to go out. The other children all helped, but they're grown and out of
house. Colin is the last one, and he has made some tremendous sacrifices."
"I was in the hospital for seven months, and when I finally came home,
Colin brought his blanket into my room and slept on the floor. Since the
accident, he has done things for me that no son should have to do for a
father."
Colin has been there to feed and bathe his father. He helps with clean up
and transportation, and has never considered it a burden.
"I know if I was in his situation, he'd be there for me," Colin said.
While Colin Grove plays football as well, basketball is his No. 1 sport. He
averaged 11.2 points and hit 49 3-pointers as a junior.
Basketball is Kent Grove's No. 1 sport, too.
He's at nearly every Cougars game, his wheelchair parked at one end of the
court where he greets parents and fans.
And while the accident has taken a toll on his body, his mind is still
sharp. He yells encouragement at the Cougars and rides officials.
"The Grove family is too neat," said Escondido coach Paul Baldwin.
"Kent's daughter (Heather) was a year behind me in school, so I've seen
him around and have known the family for years. Kent and (wife) Chris Grove
are our No. 1 fans. They're always there, and everyone loves them."
Not everyone, however, is sensitive to Kent's situation. While heckling is
limited, Colin Grove said there have been a couple of times when players
chided him about his father.
"During a game my sophomore year, one guy asked me if that was my father
in the wheelchair," Colin said. "When I said it was, he said 'Tell the
cripple, hello.'"
Colin retreated to the locker room at halftime and cried his eyes out.
"Guys say things, and at times I get frustrated," Colin said. "But I've
never had problems with my friends. No one has ever shied away from me
because of my dad."
Kent Grove said his home has always been where children gathered, and that
hasn't changed. The Grove family home, however, has.
Before the accident, the Groves had a home in the hills above Escondido
High. After the accident, the family lost the home, and things were bleak.
"The physical pain was awful, but the mental anguish was almost
unbearable," Kent Grove said. "The first time I got out of the house after
the accident, I went to one of Kiersten's volleyball games. When I came
through the doors in the gym, she saw me and broke down crying. Since then,
Chris and I have made every effort to get to as many games as we could, and
I haven't had a bad mental day in years.
"But our children have had to go without. There was a time when we
couldn't afford lettermen's jackets or class rings. I know it seems like a
little thing, but those kinds of things are very important."
Chris Grove has helped hold the family together. After the accident, she
was forced to go back to work and is now an assistant to the superintendent
of the Escondido High School District.
"Kent and Colin had something special before the accident," Chris Grove
said. "They'd play ball together, wrestle. Kent would come home on Fridays
with some kind of present, basketball cards. After the accident, there were
times it was touch and go with Kent, times we didn't know if he'd make it.
But we prayed he'd come through for Colin's sake. Kent's job raising the
family isn't finished."
Colin Grove knows this could be his last season of competitive basketball.
He's a fine high school player but may not be able to play a level up. So
he has committed himself to this season.
"I'm going to play as hard as I can and see what happens," Colin said.
"I think I could play at a small college or in JC. I might even go to San
Diego State and try and walk-on to the basketball team. Wherever I go, I
want to stay close to my dad."
Colin's life and that of his father will soon change. When the last child
leaves the nest, there is always a void at home.
"I know our kids will come back and visit, but I have no idea what Chris
and I will do when Colin leaves," Kent Grove said. "When we hear his name
at graduation, there will be a great feeling of joy, but it's going to be
very tough, too."
