Shallowater shows up for Spencer Henry; First responder, baseball coach seriously injured in crash

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Shallowater Shows Up - it’s a saying created by a Shallowater Mustang that is definitely true for Spencer Henry.

The paramedic and little league coach was seriously hurt in a crash in December. The community has been showing up to support him ever since.

Henry has been coaching his son’s little league baseball teams for the last five years.

“I love the game of baseball and I love passing on the knowledge of the game and I love passing on the want to play. And my son loves this game, so I love being involved and he likes when I coach, so I’m going to be here,” Henry said.

Coaching those teams is not something a severe brain and spinal cord injury would get in the way of. Henry was a paramedic for 14 years, spending eight of those with AeroCare. He also did landscaping, helping revamp one of the little league fields in Shallowater.

“I did a lot of the work on that field to make it a better place...it used to be called ‘The Sandlot’ for a reason,” Henry said.

After winning an auction to give it a new name, Shallowater business Fred’s Garage chose ‘Henry Field’ in his honor. The field’s name change hasn’t been the only sign of support since Henry was seriously hurt in a crash on his way to work in December.

The Shallowater community is coming together to thank Henry for his service as a first responder and coach. The league is hosting a benefit baseball tournament this weekend with all of the proceeds going to Henry’s family. A man donated a 1982 Jeep Scrambler CJ-8 to raffle off as a fundraiser for the family. Friends also helped them move into a wheelchair accessible home.

“The generosity of the community has been amazing. They’ve come through in so many different ways and they’ve done so many things for me and my family, that we’re extremely blessed,” Henry said.

All of that support is to help Henry’s family as he adjusts to a new life, and so he can keep doing what he loves.

“I enjoy doing it and I wish that I could continue to do what I used to do here at this field. I did a lot of physical labor in both of these fields. I can’t really do that anymore, but I can still be involved as a coach. I can still teach these kids the game. I can still grow their passion for the game and enjoy doing it.”

To support Henry and for the chance at a new ride, tickets for the Jeep raffle are $50 each. You can learn more about the raffle and buy a ticket through this Facebook page. You can also donate directly to the family through his wife’s Venmo account - @Michelle-Henry-85.

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