On May 27, over Memorial Day weekend, Cal Poly wrestler Dominic Mendez lost his right arm below the shoulder in an ATV accident.
Though devastating, the outpouring of support Mendez has received has been immense.
The road is long for the former Righetti High School standout who was a stud at 125 pounds this year on the mat, capturing fourth in the Pac-12 Championships.
“Sometimes life throws you curveballs and it was tough," Cal Poly Head Coach Jon Sioredas said. "I think it was tough on his teammates. Obviously, for him and his family this is just going to be a big, big change moving forward.”
But hope is not lost. Bernadette Silva, Mendez’s aunt and godmother, began a GoFundMe a week and a half ago with the goal of raising $100,000 for recovery and prosthetic arm costs. As of Friday, June 14, they’ve already reached over $86,500.
“So the goal that I set it at was $100,000 and there was no way in my mind that I even thought we were going to get this close,” Silva said.
Much of the support not surprisingly comes from the wrestling community both locally and nationally.
“The wrestling community is very tight and we take care of our own," Sioredas said. "I'm not surprised one bit. I think Dom is is well-loved in the wrestling community as well as his community here in California and in the Central Coast.”
“I know how strong the wrestling community is and friends and family and Dominic being Dominic, he's just an amazing young man. I knew that people would want to support him,” Silva added.
The redshirt freshman’s life is changed and it’s a tough road ahead but luckily for him, he has all the support in the world to make it back in whatever capacity he wants.
“He's a resilient young man and just high, high character student-athlete. We're honestly really excited to get him back on campus as soon as he's ready,” Sioredas said.
If you'd like to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-dominic-mendez-embrace-his-new-future
