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Kyle Franks (Story)

As we are here thinking of the life of our son who has passed, we realize how much we really miss him. We are however thankful that Kyle was a Christian who often talked of his recognition of God and he is now in heaven looking over us.

 

Kyle entered this world as a fighter and over-achiever from day one.

 

When Kyle was born on September 24, 1987 in Mesa, Arizona, he was a premature baby that immediately after birth had to be rushed by Helicopter to a specialty prenatal care unit at another hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. After many days of intensive care and constant praying on our part, Kyle was permitted to go home with us.

 

Kyle was a special child that was “all boy” growing up. Always into dirt, mud, fast toys, and all of the traditional American sports.

 

Kyle was diagnosed with ADHD and also had a reading disability so school never really came easy to him, in fact later in his years it became very difficult for him.

 

Kyle had a passion for baseball. With baseball, Kyle could play a sport he loved, but more than that, he developed a love for helping others see the game the way he did which was a respect for the game, to be technically correct in his approach and to play the game from an old school perspective.

 

Without question, Kyle’s favorite television show was ESPN Sports Center. It was not uncommon for Kyle to watch it all hours of the day and night memorizing stat after stat for players, coaches and teams and then challenging me to a game of “Who would you start a franchise with and why”. He knew I didn’t have the statistics expertise that he had and would take joy in proving it to me.

 

He would often bait me into a discussion of who is more valuable to their team a role-playing motivational player with average statistics or a Superstar player everyone wanted to be like. He was convinced a motivated player with an average skill set could affect his team as positively as a Superstar.

 

Over his life, time after time, Kyle would live this scenario by showing the others on his team that he had charisma, and talent as well. Kyle thrived on someone telling him he was not capable of doing something.

 

I remember several of these stories, which reflect this very well.

 

As a ten year old Kyle was diagnosed with femoral anteversion, which is an inward twisting of the thighbone, which also twisted his foot inward as well. Kyle continued to play sports year round, making all-star teams in CDO Little League, playing on AAU travel club teams and participating just as though nothing was wrong and even though the pain from his inward bent foot would often translate to knee and hip pain.

 

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