Some wounds heal quicker than others.

The right thumb University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offensive lineman William Giles nearly lost in a weight-lifting accident six months ago is “a little funky,” he said, but the scars have faded and the 6-foot-4, 303-pound senior is back on the field preparing for his final season with the Mocs.

“Cutting my thumb off, that’s one that’s hard to explain,” he said with a laugh. “That was crazy.”

Emotional wounds don’t heal quite so quickly, however. Giles’ mother, Lisa, died on Oct. 7, and he said he still feels the pain of that loss every day.

“That’s something I’m not sure I’m ever going to be able to get over,” Giles said. “It’s hard to describe, and I don’t know if anyone can really relate to it unless they’ve had something like that happen.

“I just try to focus on the good parts of it. I know she’s in a better place, and that helps.”

Despite what Giles has been through the past 10 months, he’s never veered from his path or let the physical and emotional trauma keep him down. A regular on UTC’s Dean’s List, Giles graduated in May with a degree in criminal justice — finishing the school year with a 3.65 GPA. This fall he’ll begin taking graduate-level courses, and he plans to earn a Master’s degree in public administration.

On the field, this will be Giles’ third year as a starter and last month he was voted preseason second-team All-Southern Conference by the league’s coaches. During the Mocs’ preseason practices, which resume today following an off day Sunday, Giles has assumed a significant leadership role throughout the team, but especially on a re-made offensive line.

Mocs coach Rodney Allison said Giles’ upbeat personality hasn’t changed at all following this difficult 10 months, which now includes a bone spur in his ankle that will require surgery eventually.

“His personality is the same, but I do think he’s grown up substantially from all this,” Allison said. “Not that he was immature before, but I think he’s grown up even more. ... Because of everything, we’ve really gotten close, and he’s nearly like another child (to me).”

It was to Allison’s McKenzie Arena office that Giles retreated on that dark October day when his mother passed away. It was there he was able to grieve, and it was there that he was able to draw strength from the support of his teammates. He said that within an hour of finding out about his mom about 20 teammates were by his side in Allison’s office.

“There’s no way to explain what I was feeling, but just having those people there, that really helped,” he said.

After going home for the funeral and to be with his family, Giles was back on campus in time for the Mocs’ Oct. 13 game against Western Carolina. He opted not to play because he hadn’t practiced all week, but he was there on the sideline cheering during UTC’s 39-21 win.

Once the Mocs’ 2-9 season was over, he, like his returning teammates, went straight to work in the weight room preparing for this season. But on Feb. 21, while spotting center Brian Heflin who was doing box squats, an accident resulted in the bar landing at the base of his right thumbnail. The only thing holding his thumb on was a little flap of skin.

The thumb was surgically reattached and for the next couple of months, Giles had a pin inserted in it to help the broken bones heal. The injury kept him out of spring practice, though he was there every day. But he did rather enjoy the rehab. To help with his dexterity, he spent hours playing video games.

“Call of Duty 4 was my main game. I probably put a couple hundred hours in playing that and reached a fairly nerdy level, I’d say,” he said.

One of his closest friends on the team is quarterback Tony Pastore, with whom he has regular video game battles. Pastore said it was hard no to be impressed with the way his teammate has not only endured the hardships of the past 10 months, but continued to thrive despite them.

“Losing his mom and then the thumb injury, that hit him hard, but he knows what he’s got to do to move on and live his life, and he’s not going to let anything keep him from living his life and being successful,” Pastore said. “He’s one of those guys — success just surrounds him.”