Marlborough High's Cam Ginnetti dedicates football season to injured brother

MARLBOROUGH — Cam Ginnetti wanted to honor his brother.

After his oldest sibling, Hayden Ginnetti, suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a beach accident in August, Cam opted to change his jersey number to No. 3 before the start of the football season.

It’s the same number his brother wore when he played quarterback for the Panthers. For Cam, it was the least the Marlborough High senior captain could do for Hayden.

“It’s an honor,” Cam, 17, said. “Hayden wore it and I always looked up to him. So being able to wear it for him is awesome.”

Cam, who wore the No. 87 jersey last season, collected 3.5 tackles to help the Panthers defeat Doherty, 21-19, on Friday.

Following a postgame meeting with Marlborough head coach Sean Mahoney, Cam and his friends posed for a picture on Kelleher Field with a majority of Cam’s buddies holding up three fingers in honor of Hayden.

“I grew up playing backyard football with Hayden and Cam all the time and just watching Cam play – that gives me all the strength I need,” Marlborough senior captain Jake Jones said. “And if Cam’s out here playing then I don’t have any excuse in the world.”

'I'm learning life over again'

Cam had just finished football practice on August 23 when he noticed an unusual amount of missed calls on his cell phone. When he returned the calls, Cam found out about his brother’s mishap.

While swimming off a beach in Nantucket, Hayden, a 2018 Marlborough High graduate, suffered a spinal cord injury. He was flown to Mass General Hospital in Boston before undergoing two separate surgeries.

More:Marlborough grad Hayden Ginnetti suffers 'serious spinal cord injury' at Nantucket beach

“One of the first things that Hayden asked us about was how much the helicopter ride cost,” said his father, Joe Ginnetti.

Hayden’s long-term prognosis is still up in the air.

The UMass Amherst senior can move his arms and head but can’t feel anything below his chest. Although Hayden can tell when he’s being touched in various spots, it’s too early to tell if he’ll regain all feeling back in his body or nothing else below the chest.

Donate:To Hayden Ginnett's GoFundMe Page

On Aug. 31, Hayden was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. He’s since started physical and occupational therapy, and hopes to return home in late October.

“They’re confident that he will be able to live completely independent and anything else he gains will be a bonus,” said his mother, Amie Girard. 

“I’m definitely better. I’m settled in here at Spaulding and much more comfortable here. I’m starting to do things on my own and I’m getting a lot more independent,” Hayden, 21, said. “I’m learning life over again, pretty much. They’re saying I’m a little ahead of schedule.”

Since his brother’s accident, Cam hasn’t missed a single football game or practice.

His team is currently 3-0 following its latest victory. The gridiron has proven to be a safe haven for Cam, along with Metro Church in Marlborough.  

“Football has helped me take my mind off things and helped me do something I love,” Cam said. “With the church, there’s another community right there that I can go to – especially right now. I’ve been going and praying for Hayden.”

On the hunt for the No. 3 jersey

Tracking down the No. 3 jersey proved to be harder than Cam originally imagined.

After coaches alerted the Marlborough High tight end and outside linebacker that they couldn’t locate the orange No. 3 jersey, Cam went on a hunt.

Once he found out that former Marlborough High football player Nick Minnucci was the last to wear it, Cam swung by Minnucci’s house in Marlborough to scoop up the No. 3 jersey prior to Week 1.

“To honor Hayden is something that I want to do and it’s something that we talked about,” Cam said. “Getting the No. 3, I had to go out on a limb.”

“That means a lot,” Hayden said.

Over the past month, a GoFundMePage set up for the Ginnetti family has raised over $95,000. People have dropped off cards, dinners and donations to the Ginnetti home – and provided a few hugs and pats on the back.

“I’m really grateful for all the things people have done,” Hayden’s father said.

“There is a sea of people out there that are rooting for him. It is just overwhelming,” Hayden’s mother said. “I become very emotional when I think about the support Hayden has behind him.”

During the Panthers’ first home game of the season on Sept. 17, orange T-shirts and bracelets with the saying “WE ARE #HGSTRONG” were sold to raise money for Hayden. 

On Friday “they ran out of shirts” according to Marlborough athletic director Jeff Rudzinsky.

Even the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle go to Hayden’s road to recovery. It’s all part of how the Marlborough community has offered its support during this difficult time.

“It’s good motivation for me to keep pushing and keep moving forward with everyone that is behind me,” Hayden said.

Leading that push is Cam. His oldest brother has always looked out for him. Now, Cam Ginnetti is returning the favor by honoring his brother on the football field.

“Cam’s shown the most strength I’ve ever seen in sports,” Jones said.

“You say kids are great kids – Cam’s a great kid,” Mahoney said. “Whatever that level of greatness is, he’s in that upper level.”

“Cam’s always had a nose for doing special things,” Joe said.

Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.