Hi,
My name is Brooke Bailey, and I’ll be lacing up my cleats for my fourth year with BruCrew.
When I first joined BvB Dallas, I never thought I would fall in love with the organization and all the beautiful people in it. I’ve received so much love and support through this organization that last year I decided to wanted to give something back. I wanted to be apart of leadership as one of their recruitment chairs. I was honored to have the title last year, and I am even more honored to have it two years in a row. It is truly an honor.
My first year, I was a girl that just wanted to play football, but, after all the new friendships I made, that just was not going to be enough for me. With all of the personal stories weighing on my heart, I knew my reason for coming back was more than just for football.
Last year, I lost both my grandparents within 5 months of one another. You cannot prepare your heart for that kind of loss. They both passed so suddenly, I never saw it coming.
My grandfather, Sonny, was my hype man. He was a “that’s my granddaughter” kinda man. He would share and like everything I posted on social media. Literally everything. He always made sure to tell me that he was proud of me and proud of what I was doing. He had so much pride in our last name! He would always educate me and share stories of his dad, or just random little things that he wanted me to know. All of the pride that I have in my sports and my last name come from him. He would always remind me, “You are a strong, beautiful woman Brooke. You are a Bailey, and you come from a line of fighters. You are tough. You are gonna be alright.”
He always knew exactly what to say, and he was so full of life and wisdom. He was the perfect embodiment of pure love.
My Nana was my pride and joy. She was my everything and my best friend. She raised me while my mom was serving our country. That lady knew no stranger. She could make friends with anyone! The sudden loss of my Nana tore my whole world apart. I went from getting a random phone call, “Hey piss head” (she had a lot of nicknames for me lol), to walking out of the hospital numb and in denial that she was gone. When I think of my Nana, I remember how she was so silly and full of love. She only knew how to love and had the biggest heart. I know I get mine from her.
When people ask me why I play, I tell them that I went from a girl that just wanted to play football to someone who plays for my hype man and my Nana. I play for all the families that have gone, are going, or will go through the struggle and pain of losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain of watching your loved one slowly deteriorate or shuffle through memories only to come up blank when they see your face. So, I play for everyone who plays for someone they love. I play because I love the organization and everyone in it. That is why I play. 💜
💙BruCrew💙 #tackleAlz🏈
