Hilinskis carry hope, football to South Carolina after son’s suicide
The Post and Courier
On a beautiful day in a beautiful house on a beautiful lake, there are no smiles.
It’s hard to, understand, and it will never get easier. Despite oldest son Kelly and youngest Ryan each 20 minutes away, the first an aspiring doctor and the second a freshman quarterback at South Carolina, he’s not here.
His framed jersey hangs over the mantle, signed by his teammates and flanked by photographs when he was at his most peaceful. He’s on the wall facing the kitchen, too, riding the shoulders of teammates and adoring fans, on top of the world after writing the kind of football success story every kid that ever threw a sort-of spiral in the backyard dreams about.
Mark and Kym Hilinski are still settling on Lake Murray, six months after moving from Southern California. The floors need re-doing and more pictures are braced against the baseboards, waiting for their moments on the wall hooks. The dining-room table is covered with framed photos. There’s a Three Brothers paddleboard wedged beside it and a glass jar filled with blue, red and black rubber wristbands by the fireplace.
He never lived here. They never had to run up the stairs and holler at him to quit rasslin’ his brothers. He never bounced into the sun room, dripping chlorine from the pool, tracking wet footprints on the hardwood so he could get a Gatorade from the fridge.
But he’s there. Always. As much as his memory might bring a smile, his own so beatific and boundless, it doesn’t stay.
“It’s a house,” Mark says. “It’s not a home without Tyler.”
