Support Dominic's Journey to Healing

April 19, 2025 seemed like any other day. I spent most of the day shopping, preparing to cook Easter dinner for our family the next day. Unfortunately, life had other plans. My sister sent me a text message sometime in the early evening telling me that my 11 year old nephew, Dominic, had fallen while playing outside with his friends. He told her he had hit his head, so she had him just take a break on the couch. He started vomiting, so she rushed him to the nearest ER at Advent Central Texas. She was texting me and telling me how she felt so helpless, because the doctor was not listening to her or the nurses. She told me how the doctor (who I now know as Dr. Franklin Rivers) was very dismissive. Despite pushback from multiple nurses, he continued to insist that Dom just had a concussion and needed morphine for pain without imaging. The next thing I know, I got a call that I needed to get to the ER immediately. My father and I rushed as fast as we could. When I got there and asked what had happened, she told me that Dominic got increasingly disoriented, so she asked him to say the phrase “Peter Piper.” He could not. He simply said the word, “Stars,” before becoming unconscious. Dr. Rivers said Dom just fell asleep from being tired, but my sister and the nurses agreed that something was terribly wrong. It was only then - hours after they had arrived - that Dr. Rivers agreed to do imaging. As soon as they laid Dom down onto the machine, he coded and had to be intubated. The only thing that saved his life were the fast-acting nurses. Dom was life-flighted to McLane’s Children’s Hospital in Temple, TX.

Upon our arrival, a physician told us verbatim “His prognosis is not good.” It turns out that Dominic had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM for short) that ruptured. This was something that had gone undetected since birth. I felt a kick in my chest as I watched my sister run out of the hospital. I held her as she collapsed in the parking lot, telling her over and over, “Just wait for neuro. Just wait for the brain people to tell us what’s happening with his brain. It will be okay.” I don’t think I ever prayed so hard in my life (and I do not consider myself religious). I later found out that they had given him less than 5% chance to survive, because the bleeding was so severe by the time they caught it, and the rupture was located right at the brain stem. He was in a coma for days. He has already had to endure multiple brain surgeries. My sister has not left his side but to go downstairs to pick up food, or take a shower/do laundry in their designated Ronald McDonald Room. Dominic is a National Honors Society student, plays flag football, loves anime, and has a relationship with God that would probably put the Pope to shame. Thankfully, he is now on the very slow road to recovery. He currently has a tracheostomy, and is having to re-learn all of his motor functions. The damage was so severe that even almost 2 months later we have no idea how long a full recovery will take or if it is even possible. My sister has been working remotely from the hospital room, but of course her hours have been reduced significantly.

While her life came to a screeching halt that night, her bills have not, which is why I have decided to create this fundraiser. Not only do the every-day bills pile up, but the preparations for Dom are extensive. She has to move from her two-story townhome to a single story residence. She will have to coordinate home health care. She currently has a Saturn Vue that will need to be switched for a handicap accessible vehicle. She is even looking into legal representation for a medical malpractice suit. These kinds of extra expenses are overwhelming, to say the least. She has been in an active custody and child support battle (and I do not exaggerate the word “battle”) with Dominic’s biological father for almost 2 years now while he has been absent for even longer, so he obviously and unfortunately has not been of much help in any capacity. I know that times are hard for most at the moment, so for those who are not able to donate monetarily, sharing this link and any prayers and good vibes are very much appreciated. I thank everyone for reading this far, and hope that our story will somehow help others. Let’s help Dominic on his road to recovery.