Support Alessandro's Journey to Recovery

Alessandro is a scholar athlete entering Wilson High School September 2025. He previously attended Patrick Henry Elementary and Helen Keller Dual Immersion schools before taking a gap year to train for water polo at 6 8 Academy. He has played water polo with 908 Water Polo Club and Shore Aquatics.

Aside from water polo, he loves fishing with friends, surfing at the beach or gaming with friends. He is a natural leader in the pool and brings guidance and inspiration to his teammates as well as a drive for excellence.

On Friday, July 4th, Alessandro dove into the water in the bay around 59th Street (peninsula) where he thought there was a drop-off. He sustained trauma to his head and became paralyzed in the water. Fortunately, for the friends that were with him and the quick-acting lifeguards on duty, he was quickly rescued and transported to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Sandro is currently on the rehab floor of Miller Childrens Hospital. He continues to make gains in OT and PT sessions in upper body and core strength as well as his ability to sit upright (almost 90 degrees). He had electrical muscle stimulation on both forearms and is working on fine motor skills with his hands and fingers. He also practices all the basics like brushing his teeth and getting dressed. Both modalities continue to work on strengthening his core. In PT, he is working on stretching and strengthening his upper body muscles.

Alessandro was diagnosed with burst fractures of multiple C spine vertebrae (C5, C6 and C7). This is going to be a long journey of recovery for him and we will not stop until we are sure that he’s getting the best possible care and outcome. Depending on the source, the top pediatric rehabilitation centers for spinal cord injury are located in Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Northern California, Boston, Texas or Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Craig Hospital in Colorado has a minimum age of requirement of 15. He currently continues to make tremendous progress and gains in rehabilitation at Miller Children’s Hospital Pediatric Rehabilitation in Long Beach, CA. Follow the Caring Bridge site set up for him to follow his progress.

CARING BRIDGE

Your support will help provide any necessary travel to a higher level of rehabilitation, support and transportation once he is discharged to outpatient care and any necessary modifications or adaptive equipment once home.

We are so grateful for friends at the beach, the lifeguards on duty, the staff and Miller Childrens and all of the angels from the school and water polo communities.

#SANDROSTRONG