By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Sometimes things happen in life that people can’t explain. But no matter what happens, they can find inspiration from it.
A few months ago, then 16-year old Hermes Flores was preparing for his senior football season at Brownsville Veterans Memorial when his life was changed forever. He was the passenger in a car accident not far from the high school that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Flores was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. But he was told later that because of his rare oversight, he survived.
Among cheers and emotions, Flores returned Friday to Brownsville Veterans for his 17th birthday and received the best gift he could ask for, as his teammates presented him with his varsity letterman’s jacket in the school’s gymnasium.
“I feel very proud. I love my school, and I want to represent it with my varsity jacket,” Flores said. “I love this school, this is my school and I’m a Charger forever. That’s why I fight.”
As Flores battles to overcome what has happened to him, he has become an inspiration to his teammates. Before every game, the team breaks its huddle with a chant of ‘Hermes strong.’
After the presentation, the entire team gathered around with Flores in the center to take a few pictures with their injured teammate. And just as they were finished the team bellowed out the familiar chant, which echoed throughout the gym.
“He’s been an incredible inspiration,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “He’s gone through one of the most challenging things you can ever imagine in life, yet he does it such an unbelievably courageous attitude.”
Cantu also presented Flores with a framed version of his player poster from the 2015 season and a Chargers helmet.
Flores is confined to a wheelchair but has started to get some movement in his left hand. It’s the first progress in a long process that he faces in order to hopefully one day live without restrictions. He is constantly thinking about his teammates and hopes to help bring the team together, even though he can’t be on the field with his teammates.
“I feel proud that I can help my team and inspire them. All I do is fight, and they have to fight, too,” he said. “If I don’t give up, they’re not going to. They need to keep going.”
But it’s not just his teammates that he continues to inspire. That extends to the coaches and everyone around him.
“Every single time I’ve spoken with him, texted him, visited with him, it doesn’t matter, he has that same exact attitude of not feeling sorry for himself, appreciating still what he has,” Cantu said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.