Wheatley football star triumphs over Hurricane Harvey's trials

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- More than a year after Hurricane Harvey, Fabian Willis is starting to feel things get back into place.

The Wheatley High School senior and wide receiver recently moved back into his home in the Fifth Ward after it was severely damaged by the 2017 storm.

"It is amazing. If y'all would have seen how it looked, it was horrible, real horrible," Fabian said. "I was just excited that it was fixed and it's a new house."

Though the storm put Fabian through a roller coast of emotions and uncertainty, he believes it taught him not to quit on his family.

"I am not the strongest man in the world, but I think I'm pretty strong to go what we went through. Strong enough to overcome it, to be where I'm at right now," Fabian said.

This life experience has made Willis a more communicative individual on and off the field.

"Before everything, he was in a shell," said Wheatley assistant coach Deandre Cooper. "When you talk to him, you can see that he has come out of that shell. He's opened up. He is a totally different person."