Cal Poly wrestler receives community support after accident

On May 27, Memorial Day weekend, Cal Poly wrestler Dominic Mendez lost his right arm below the shoulder in an ATV accident.

The support Mendez received was devastating but immense.

It’s a long road for the former Righetti High School standout, who was a hit on the mat this year in the 125-pound class, finishing fourth at the Pac-12 Championships.

“Sometimes life throws you curve balls and this was tough,” Cal Poly head coach Jon Sioredas said. “I think it was tough on his teammates. Obviously, this is going to be a big, big change for him and his family going forward.”

But hope is not lost. Bernadette Silva, Mendez’s aunt and godmother, started a GoFundMe campaign a week and a half ago with the goal of raising $100,000 for recovery and the cost of the prosthetic arm. As of Friday, June 14, over $86,500 has already been raised.

“So I set a goal of $100,000 and I never thought we would get this close to that goal,” 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 people,” Sioredas said. “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I think Dom is very well-liked in the wrestling community as well as his community here in California and the Central Coast.”

“I know how strong the wrestling community is, and friends and family, and Dominic being Dominic, he’s just an incredible young man. I knew people would want to support him,” Silva added.

The redshirt freshman’s life has changed and the road is tough, but luckily he has all the support in the world he needs to come back, in whatever capacity.

“He is a resilient young man and a student-athlete with strong character. We are really excited to have him back on campus as soon as he is ready,” Sioredas said.

If you would like to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-dominic-mendez-embrace-his-new-future