Path To Recovery

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

Michael Heyward, a sophomore at Berk High School, had extensive fire damage to his house.

Burke forward trying to pick up the pieces after recent house fire

Firefighters finally extinguished the blaze that caused extensive damage to his house Monday night, and Michael Heyward sadly realized most of his worldly possessions were destroyed.

But the Burke basketball player held out hope when firefighters entered his North Charleston home in search of his No. 42 basketball jersey that he needed for Tuesday's game against Hanahan.

"I don't have anything," the sophomore thought as he waited for the firemen to finish their search. "At first, I thought my basketball jersey was destroyed."

A few minutes later, the firefighters emerged with his jersey, which somehow managed to survive the fire.

"It made me very happy," said Heyward, a starting forward on the Burke team. "Although I lost just about everything, the fire taught me to take pride in what I have. I took pride before, but I could have taken more pride."

It's been a tough week for his family. His parents are living in a hotel downtown while he stays with friend and teammate Del'Javon Simmons.

Heyward doesn't have much.

"I've had people come up to me, shaking my hand, putting money in it," Heyward said. "I've had some of the players from the varsity girls' team bring me some clothes and some shoes for my brothers and sisters."

But, he wants only one thing.

"I don't need anything," Heyward said. "I just worry about my mother, that the family is all right and we will find a better place to stay. I visit them at the hotel and I think, 'When are we going to get out of here?' "

The Bulldogs played Hanahan the night after the fire, and Heyward scored seven points. Although the Hawks were foes that night, they were friends on this night.

Hanahan principal Rodney Thompson called school booster club president Stanley Cox, wanting to see if the school could help out Heyward.

Cox informed some of the Hawks fans of Heyward's situation and asked for donations. They raised $100 for the opposing player.

"We didn't want to be pushy," Cox said. "We went to people who would do it without thinking about it because it was the right thing to do."

Cox said Heyward's plight "sort of hit home."

"I've got a 16-year-old son (Chanler) on the basketball team, who is battling Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and he received a great outpouring of support. As a father, you don't want your son to suffer, hurt or to want. So it was the right thing to do."

Monday night, the Burke boys play Bishop England in a game that could decide the Region 6-AA championship. The battle should be intense, but will be kept in perspective — it's just a game.

Soon after Bishop England coach Jeff DiBattisto learned of the fire, he called athletic director Paul Runey for advice on how his team could help out Heyward.

"We talked, and we decided the best way to help is to get Michael Heyward a gift card," Runey said. "We thought it would be a good gesture. We just want to help out a fellow athlete, a fellow student. It could happen to anybody."