'They truly do care': Hudson football rallies around teammate after the loss of his dad
· Yahoo Sports
HUDSON — As Damien Puim sat in a chair at D-ROXX Barber & Salon on Monday afternoon, the Hudson High junior agreed to get a buzz cut after originally deciding not to trim off most of his hair.
“Alright, f--- it, let’s do it,” said Puim, who plays football and ice hockey for the Hawks.
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Nearly a month after the unexpected death of his father, Puim took part in a “buzz for a cause” fundraiser held for him and his family following their tragic loss.
Roughly 20 Hudson High football players showed up in solidarity to support their teammate going through a tough time while raising money to help Puim with his future college funds.
“It just makes me super happy,” Puim told the T&G. “It shows how much they really care. They didn't have to do this, but they took the time out of their day to set this all up and do it, and it just shows how much they truly do care.”
Puim’s father, Gary, passed away on May 14 at the age of 44. He left behind a daughter, Arihanna, and a son, Damien.
Raised in Hudson, Gary Puim enjoyed soccer and ice hockey, the latter an interest he shared with his son, who plays the same position (goalie) for the Hawks.
“We had a pretty good relationship,” said Damien Puim, who lives with his mother in Hudson. “He was super proud. He never cared about how much playing time I got. He just told me that it was all about the mindset and just doing good, going out there and being ready for whenever.”
Ahead of the Hudson High football team’s first workout session of the summer, Puim, an offensive lineman and defensive lineman, and his gridiron teammates showed up at the barber shop located on Main St.
Hudson senior captains Logan Dome and Toby Edie both had their hair buzzed off.
“It’s cool to see everyone come together for one of our teammates and close friends,” said Dome, Hudson’s quarterback. “We have a very close family bond on this team, so it’s cool that we can do this for him and it’s a fun way to get the team together early in the preseason.”
“It shows how much we love each other and how much of a team we are,” added Edie, a running back and linebacker for the Hawks. “We don’t care what we look like.”
After Dome and Edie participated in the initial wave of haircuts, courtesy of D-ROXX Barber & Salon owner Derek Cabral and his barbers Tyler Whitmore and Mike Yates (who opened the shop specially for Puim and Co.), Hudson football coach Zac Attaway showed up for his buzz off Monday afternoon.
For Attaway, a father of four, showing up to support one of his players who just lost his own father was more important than any single hairstyle or play call.
“It’s great to see the guys come together here for one of their brothers,” Attaway said. “We talk about how we don’t just say ‘Family’ at the end of practice; it actually means something here. A perfect example of that is right here today doing that fundraiser.
“It was a successful fundraiser and then following through on what they said they would do, and we got more guys than we thought to buzz their heads today. So, it was a real good look, and I think Damien, his mom and the rest of the family really appreciated it.”
As four handfuls of Hawks took their turns sitting in barber chairs, eating Dum-Dums (lollipops) and swapping styling tips, Puim finally took his seat in Cabral’s chair toward the end of the visit.
Puim initially didn’t want to mess with his black lush curls — but eventually opted to partake in the fundraising buzz-off held to help him and his family.
“He loves his hair,” said his older sister, Arihanna. “My uncles and my cousins are going to fry him when he gets home.”
A GoFundMe page set up for the Puim family currently has raised over $8K.
For the past six weeks, Damien and his family have felt support from the local community. And that backing was on full display Monday thanks to a bunch of buzz cuts at D-ROXX Barber & Salon.
“Just for the community to come together, it amazes me,” said Damien’s mother, Guadalupe (Mendez) Puim. “It’s just nice for him to have this family.”
“I’m just taking it day by day, using the people around me and the support that I have,” Damien Puim said. “That’s all you can really do is just use the people around you because they’re here giving their support, and all you can do is just take it.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'They truly do care': Hudson football rallies around teammate after the loss of his dad