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“My hair hurts.”
The youth football coach peered at the player in front of him. The lad had just come out of the game after a sweep where he’d been hit from behind and something about the play felt decidedly off the way the ball carrier’s arm dropped, that he fumbled, something he was never known to do.
Peering into the 12-year-old’s eyes, the coach searched for a telltale sign of what was amiss. He asked the usual questions: “What’s going on, Derek? Are you hurt? What’s today’s date? What’s the score?”
The athlete answered every question and appeared to settle down. A few minutes later, he stood up, screamed, “My head!” and collapsed into his coach’s arms.
Derek Ruth’s football career and life as he knew it was over. A new chapter, however, wasn’t far behind.
“I vividly remember the week leading up to my injury on the football field—September 6, 2008,” Derek said. “Everything seemed to be falling into place: my training was going well and I felt stronger and more confident than ever. But during my second game of the season I was badly hurt, and in an instant, everything changed.”
One of the things that changed irreparably for Derek, now 29, was the manner in which he communicated with others. Though he readily comprehends things said to and asked of him, his traumatic brain injury has cost him his verbal skills. He now answers questions by typing on a device.
“The hardest part of the whole experience wasn’t just the physical pain or the long recovery process; it was facing the new reality I found myself in,” he said. “Suddenly, the future I had envisioned for myself seemed uncertain. The emotional and mental challenges were just as difficult to navigate as the physical ones, but through it all, I found strength I didn’t know I had.”
The fact he even survived is miraculous. His parents remember that for days after the injury, their son couldn’t hold his head up or move his extremities. He was, as his physical therapist would later describe him, a 2-month-old infant in a 12-year-old’s body.
“I was not expected to survive the traumatic brain injury,” he said. “I endured two major life-saving brain surgeries. The injury caused me to lose the significant functions of my body, including many of the little things that we take for granted. I have fought through many trials and tribulations to get back to where I am today, and it has not been easy.”
Somewhere in the fog of that physical trauma, however, Derek was not alone. Today he describes several visits he received from Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, important figures from his spiritual life growing up in the Catholic Church.
To this day, his parents, Jennifer and Royce, say his faith and grit were always a source of inspiration to others. As a child, he took to praying the rosary every day, and that never wavered throughout his ordeal.
“Even from the times that he had zero movement or we didn’t think that he knew what was going on or we didn’t think he was cognitive enough to understand, he would show little signs of that by trying to figure out what was going on and trying to communicate with us,” Jennifer said. “He was very determined and I think that’s continued throughout this whole thing.”
“His example of his faith is amazing,” Royce said. “I tell people all the time, I’ve learned more from him than he has learned from me in life.”
As catastrophic as the blow to his body was, Derek’s spirit hit back harder. Not only did he relearn many functions of daily living, he reclaimed his place atop the pecking order over four younger brothers through his example and drive.
His determination also led him to earn a degree in sociology in 2019 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and, most recently, he published a book, The Eight-Minute Flight, an unflinching look at the injury and what it did to his life, his family, and his faith.
“I have always striven for greatness in all areas of life, but when life repeatedly knocked me down, there was something extraordinary that helped me drive forward,” he said. “The Eight-Minute Flight recounts some of my most pivotal life experiences up to the age of 24, through the completion of my college graduation. As you read, you’ll be able to gain insight into my personal thoughts and reflections during those times.”
He continued, “I hope readers walk away with a renewed sense of faith, a deeper understanding of their own strength to overcome challenges, and a reminder not to take life for granted.”
Derek Ruth’s book is available for preorder at theeightminuteflight.com.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
