Nine years later, The Woodlands Highlander Grant Milton is #21 Strong

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- It’s been more than nine years since a high school football game left Grant Milton with a traumatic brain injury.

Grant, now 27, suffered a devastating injury in November 2016 on a football field in Waco as The Woodlands Highlanders (Milton #21) competed in a regional playoff game against Austin Bowie.

“Grant's injury was so traumatic that he was not expected to survive the night," said Grant's father Miles Milton in a Nov. 24, 2018 CaringBridge post. "By God's grace, he beat the odds and did survive.”

Grant currently lives at Marbridge, a nonprofit residential community near Austin, TX.

“I hate to say it's become normal, and that we roll with the punches,” Miles said. “Has it gotten any easier? In some ways, yes, it's become a normal part of our lives and his life,” Miles said.

“It is still a gut punch, especially as we walk milestones with our other children - graduating college, getting their first job, getting married. There is a sense of loss. Those are the tough moments.”

Grant experienced a few setbacks during COVID, resulting in two hospitalizations. At Marbridge, Grant enjoys visits from family and friends, communicates via a TOBII device - eye-tracking technology that helps Grant communicate - and occasionally enjoys his favorite meal of Chick-fil-A as he continues therapy on swallowing skills.

Miles said that Grant recognizes family members and occasionally shows a sense of impatience and humor, at times reacting to quotes from his favorite movies.

“It’s still there, although it’s still childlike,” Miles said. “But it’s still Grant. I think he is probably at the apex of his skills. He’s nonverbal but he interacts with others around him. He’s had some great people with him (roommates). He has a young man with him now, and even though neither of them are verbal, they seem quite content with each other.”

Grant keeps busy with physical, speech and occupational therapies. And sometimes, Grant just plain gets tired of it all. “The amount of sleep he requires some days is more than others,” Miles said, which means he sometimes falls asleep during televised church services on Sundays in the community room at Marbridge.

While most of Grant’s therapies are at Marbridge, he occasionally requires transport to facilities or hospitals for continued treatment. Marbridge is currently fundraising for an updated transport van that would directly benefit all residents.

Meanwhile, with Grant’s talent on the football field cut short, Miles has a message for parents of all high school athletes. “If your back hurts, if your leg hurts, if your arm hurts, if you have a headache … you’ve got to be attuned to it. You’ve got to make sure to speak out. Don’t play through it,” Miles said.

The Woodlands High School continues to honor Grant, as his jersey #21 remains in the football varsity locker room.

“Grant was a driven athlete,” Miles said. “One of the fiercest athletes I know.”

Tori Pylpec, Grant's stepsister, produced a short documentary titled "A Life on Pause" while studying communications at Wake Forest University.

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