While her son was in elementary school, Mandy Headrick made a choice that in hindsight seems eerily prescient given the current circumstances America faces.
A single mother, Headrick was working in sales at the time. She wanted to make a job change that would be impervious, or at least far less affected, when faced with an economic downturn, and allow her to move easily. She also didn't want to end up back at the bottom of a career ladder after she had worked so long to be able to make a living for her and her son, Darian.
So in 2012 _ about four years after graduating with a degree in business and management _ Headrick returned to school to study nursing. She finished a bachelor's program at Lincoln Memorial University, and by 2015 was working at University Hospitals-Case Medical Center in Cleveland.
Her stay there was short, however, but not because it was a bad fit. While mom was hitting the books, Darian was hitting the weights. He was sprouting, too. By the end of his senior year at St. Ignatius High School, Darian stood 6-foot-5, weighed 336 pounds and was considered one of the best offensive tackles in the country. On April 30, 2017, he committed to the University of Kentucky from a final four also consisting of Penn State, Tennessee and UCLA.
Darian Kinnard, as a true sophomore, started every game at right tackle for UK last season. Between shifts at a hospital within earshot of Kroger Field, his mom was there to see every snap.
