It didn’t take long for Colin Hooper’s parents to notice something was wrong with their young son.
Whether Hooper was eating, playing or simply sitting down watching television, he’d experience a distinct shaking in his hands that he couldn’t control. It wasn’t something a home remedy could fix, either — Hooper needed help from a medical professional.
The diagnosis was hand tremors, a nervous system disorder that causes rhythmic shaking.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, this shaking is involuntary, and the cause is unknown. The condition is fairly common in the United States, with more than 200,000 cases reported each year.
However, some forms of the disorder run in families and can be inherited, which is Hooper’s hypothesis.
“When I was little, my parents noticed it when I was eating cereal,” Hooper said. “I was shaking when I was holding the spoon. I think I had surgery on it. When I was in elementary, I had to go to classes for it to make it normal. It’s a lot better now.
“I know it was in my family because my grandma has it. You’re usually supposed to get it when you’re older, but I got it when I was born. Now my mom is starting to have it, so I think that’s where it’s from.”
However, the hand tremors weren’t the only thing affecting Hooper’s quality of life as a child.
As if the involuntary shaking in his hands wasn’t enough, Hooper also had to deal with speech and eyesight issues.
It made for a difficult and embarrassing childhood for Hooper.
“I had speech problems, and I had to go to classes for that, along with for my hands,” Hooper said. “I had a speech impediment, and my eyesight was really bad. My parents told me when I was a baby, I would run into walls. It got better when I got older, though, because now I don’t need glasses unless I drive. Sometimes I wear contacts, but I think they bother me more.”
Although those problems have subsided to some extent over the years, the hand tremors are incurable.
Hooper, a senior wide receiver at Lawton High, still experiences shaking attacks prior to — and sometimes during — games.
“Usually it’s really bad before a game, and I’ll start shaking really bad,” Hooper said. “Or if I’m mad, I’ll shake really bad. It doesn’t really bother me anymore, though. I thought it used to affect the way I play, but it really doesn’t affect me anymore.”
Hooper doesn’t plan to continue his football career in college, but he said he is going to miss it.
“I’m too small (to play in college), but I love football,” Hooper said. “Especially special teams. Last week, I had a fumble recovery on a punt, and I almost had another one on a kickoff where the kick returner fumbled it, and I was one second away. Then I almost blocked a punt. I love special teams.”
With so much adversity facing him, Hooper desperately sought to find an escape — something to help keep his mind off his troubles.
He found that refuge in studying historical events.
“I love history,” Hooper said. “Everyone thinks history is boring, but I just love it. After football, I’ll just sit and read about it. I have AP (Advanced Placement) history, and I passed my AP test on that. Nobody expects a football player to be interested in that. I’ll just read for hours and hours about history. I can tell you anything about it.”
Hooper’s favorite period of history to study is World War II, though his reasoning might surprise most.
Despite the differences in scale, Hooper said he finds the allies’ struggles during that time relatable to his own.
“The allies got whooped at the beginning by Germany, and it kind of makes me think of my struggles,” Hooper said. “I had all these problems, and the allies had all these problems with France getting conquered. They were complacent and didn’t try to help, and then Poland got conquered. They were all by themselves with all these problems to cope with, but they pushed on through it.”
Hooper’s interest in World War II also carries over into the digital realm.
When he’s not busy with football, Hooper enjoys playing the “Hearts of Iron IV” video game, which takes users through the war and provides the ability to create different what-if scenarios.
“You can play as any country, and it starts in 1936,” Hooper said. “You can re-enact World War II, and you tell soldiers what to do. It’s a strategy game, and I’m really into those. I also really like “Battlefield”. I used to be addicted to that game before football season came around, and now I don’t even play it anymore.”
His love for history has paid off in the classroom as well.
Hooper, who sports a 3.9 GPA, was selected earlier this year to take a school trip to Paris and London during spring break. The trip provided students a chance to explore many historical landmarks and museums.
“We got to see the Museum of London and stuff from all around the world,” Hooper said. “That’s why I went on that trip. We went to Windsor Castle, the castle where the Queen of England stays (on most weekends), and rooms were filled with gold, the walls were gold and there were the crown jewels of what kings and queens wore.”
Despite his desire to learn more about history, Hooper said he wants to keep his interest a hobby rather than pursuing a career in the field.
Instead, he wants to take after some of the medical professionals who helped him develop a clear form of communication.
“I want to be a speech therapist,” Hooper said. “I had to go to a lot of classes for it when I had a speech impediment, and I want to do that and help other people out. UCO (University of Central Oklahoma) has a plan for it, and that’s where I want to go.”