Tyler Hilinski’s family rebuilds their lives around youngest son’s football dreams
LA Times
The water on the lake is smooth this afternoon, hardly a ripple, the calmest the couple can remember. They bought the red brick house that sits on a small peninsula with panoramic views six months ago, seeking a refuge that could provide them peace they no longer had within.
Mark and Kym Hilinski are always moving. To the boat for a quick spin around Lake Murray and a meal. To Ryan’s football practice over in Columbia. To the post office to send thank-you notes all over the country. Back to their new house, which they are pretty sure will never feel like a home, not without Tyler.
But they’re sure going to try. A construction crew has arrived, getting going on a renovation that should span the entire fall. The Hilinskis plan to be busy traveling the Southeast, doing what else but following another son’s football dream. They have already come so far from their native Southern California, so why not go ahead and start over?
Like most everyone around town, the contractor wants to talk about only one thing: Will the Hilinski’s youngest son, a true freshman, win the job to be the South Carolina Gamecocks’ backup quarterback?
“I watched the spring game on TV,” he says, “and I thought Ryan looked great.”
By this point, Mark expects such banter. “He could redshirt either way,” he offers. “His mom would prefer he redshirts all four years.”
There’s laughter, but it’s not a joke.
“They’re not going to announce the backup until after the second scrimmage,” Mark says.
“That’s when we are in Hawaii,” Kym chimes in from the kitchen.
They leave for the islands the next day, and there is much to do. Some of Tyler’s ashes will be packed into travel-size bottles because they never know if airport security will stop them and create an awkward situation. The first time they scattered the ashes of their sweet middle son — the former Washington State quarterback who took his own life in January 2018 and sent shockwaves across the football landscape — was at a lighthouse on the island of Kauai where the family used to vacation.
The University of Hawaii football team has invited them to share Tyler’s story as part of the family’s mission with Hilinski’s Hope, their charity that promotes mental health awareness and reducing the stigma among college athletes, so it feels like a good time to bring Tyler back.
