Feature: Grayer’s Road to Recovery Led him to Help Others
When Ike Grayer Jr. was 13, a tragic accident forced him to give up on his dream of becoming a professional football player. But there’s a second dream he’s held on to.
“Since I was a kid, I always wanted to work in construction,” he said. “One day I want to build my own house. It’s a dream I still have.”
Grayer is a carpenter with the St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP). Every day he learns something new or gets to practice something he already knows.
“Ike is a key member of our team. His energy and dedication to our mission enables us to make homeowners safer and more comfortable in a healthier environment,” noted SJHP Rehab Manager Susan Giddens.
Grayer was offered his job two years ago, while he was delivering materials for White’s Lumber. An SJHP worker said Grayer looked like the kind of guy who would enjoy working with them. He does.
“Sometimes our clients are in rough situations,” Grayer said “I like remodeling everything that’s damaged for them. It makes them feel better about themselves.”
Grayer has known tough times too. When he was 13, he, his brother, and a friend were struck by a car while walking across a parking lot. Grayer was airlifted to the hospital with a crushed skull, back injuries, and a broken leg. Doctors told him he might not live. They were certain he’d never walk.
“Sometimes in physical therapy I’d fall. I’d get a headache, like someone had punched me in the face,” Grayer said. “That’s when I’d really feel scared.”
With help from his mother, grandmother, and Jesus, Grayer recovered and went on to lead a normal life.
“God wasn’t going to let me go,” he said.
It motivates him to help other people who are struggling, because of old age or an accident.
“Maybe they can’t do the work anymore,” he said. “But that’s OK, because we can help them.”
(Carole Hawkins is a freelance journalist and writer based in Jacksonville.)
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