GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Derrick Owens Sr. is recovering from a stroke in the very same hospital where his son, Derrick Jr., recovered from a brain aneurysm in 2022.
Now, just two weeks after Owens Sr. survived what's called an acute ischemic left stroke, he's completing his rehab in the same halls he once walked through with his son.
Owens Sr. was a basketball coach for 45 years. However, Owens Sr. was more than just a coach on the court. Owens Jr. tells me, "He's been my coach all my life."
Owens Jr. now gets to return the favor for all the years his dad spent coaching him. “Me coaching my dad, it's been great — I tell him, 'You're not retraining your muscles; you're retraining your brain,'” Owens Jr. said.
Owens Sr.'s physical therapist, Natalie Strayer, tells me that his old coaching habits have been evident in his rehab. “He’s motivating other people around him, and also me, to push him even more — that's just his spirit and who he is," Strayer said.
When Owens Sr. came face-to-face with his mortality, he tells me he was quickly reminded that he wasn't the first Owens to fight. “We’ve seen Derek look at death in the face and say, 'I'm not ready,'" Owens Sr. said.
Owens Jr. is now his dad's inspiration. “I depend on him for the comfort that I needed to get through this period in my life,” Owens Sr. said.
Although Owens Sr.'s stroke and Owens Jr.'s brain aneurysm are not directly tied, Owens Jr. explains that the correlation between the two is their high blood pressure.
Derrick Jr. is taking advantage of his ability to relate to his dad in a way that not many can — pushing him to get back on his feet.
“Being there for him has helped me out a lot in terms of getting through my own journey and helping him get through his,” Owens Jr. said.
Although Owens Sr. may not be fully healthy yet, he's been busy in rehab preparing for the day he gets to leave his hospital bed and go home.
Owens Sr. has made great progress, according to Strayer. When Owens Sr. first went through testing, she tells me he could only walk with a walker about 500 feet. Now, he is walking 1,000 feet without a walker.
Owens Sr. attributes his strength to his son, stating, “If he can do it, I can do it.”
Owens Sr. is graduating inpatient rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed this Friday, with plans to enjoy retirement by encouraging others who have endured trials of their own.
It really is true what they say — once a coach, always a coach.
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