SBHS Wrestlers Honor Teammate's 8-Year-Old Brother Battling Brain Cancer

Wrestling is, by its very nature, an individual sport.  Grapplers may be part of a team, wear a singular uniform and compete for the glory of their school.  But when each match begins it's one wrestler, standing alone, completely reliant on himself and his abilities to determine victory or defeat as he meets his opponent on the mat. 

But for the South Brunswick High School wrestling team, individual goals and glories have faded into the background, as they have joined together to become one in order to support a teammate and his family who were dealt an unimaginable hardship.  

Brandon Dominguez, the 8-year-old brother of SBHS senior David Dominguez, who wrestles at 135 lbs. for the team, was diagnosed with brain cancer in December.  The second grader at Greenbrook Elementary School is now faced with receiving chemotherapy treatments at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City five times a week for the next 40 weeks.

"Knowing one of our teammate's family is facing something like this has made us stronger as a team," said junior Dallas Siegel, who wrestles at 215 lbs.  "We're not wrestling for ourselves, we're wrestling for David and we're also wrestling for Brandon.  That's something in all of our minds, that their family is going through such a hard thing."

SBHS is hosting the district wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday.  In an act of brotherhood and support for Brandon, each varsity grappler competing will dye their hair red for the tournament in honor of Brandon.

"Red is Brandon's favorite color so we talked to his family and our coach and they gave us the okay," Dallas said.  "Not only is this a really good idea to bring us together as a team, but people will understand that we're also doing this for our teammate and his family."

Mothers of some of the SBHS wrestlers are also hoping to help the Dominguez family by holding a bake sale at the districts on Friday and Saturday.  They will also be collecting cash donations to be given to the family to help them with the financial burden for the fight Brandon must now wage against the disease.  The cost of transporting Brandon to chemotherapy treatments is estimated at $500 each week.

"We're calling this Baking for Brandon, and we'll also be collecting cash donations," said Paige Rimmer, one of the organizers whose son wrestles for the team.  "Every year for districts, the boys pick something to focus on for fundraising.  This year really hits close to home for them as wrestlers and as a family.  The boys are in a situation that's so frustrating because nobody can do a thing about what Brandon's going through, so this way they feel like they're doing something to at least bring awareness to it."

Rimmer said the realities of Brandon's situation has forced the team to think outside themselves, as they hope to provide a beam of light for the Dominguez family during such a dark time.

"It's hard for them because they're boys and they're tough guys competing in this sport," she said.  "As moms we have to answer their questions about Brandon's disease and his prognosis.  The kids got a reality check about life and I think it slowed them down and made them think about things other than themselves, which can be difficult to do as teenagers."

Other team moms said the experience has brought a tightly knit group even closer together.

"This was just devastating for them," said Jody Siegel, Dallas' mother.  "They're all very close anyway, so when they see something like this it just brings them even closer."

Because of the fact that wrestlers are competing by themselves once a match begins, Siegel said the team already shares a bond because they all know what each other faces each time they step on the mat.  However, this experience has created even more of a kinship among the grapplers.

"This is a good group of kids and seeing something like this makes them realize it could happen to anyone of them or their siblings," Siegel said.  "It's heartbreaking for them, so this gives them more of a feeling of brotherhood and gives them a reason behind what they're doing.  They're looking forward to doing anything they can to help the (Dominguez) family."

To show how important the Dominguez family is to the team, on their final home match of the season South Brunswick Coach Joe Dougherty made Brandon a team captain and he lined up with the other varsity wrestlers in the starting lineup.

Rimmer said an even more heartwarming moment occurred when the varsity team was sitting at the top of the bleachers watching the junior varsity squad compete before the varsity match began.

"When the Dominguez family came into the gym, Brandon wanted to go sit with the team at the top of the bleachers," Rimmer said.   "But Brandon's mother didn't want him to climb up there because he was on the weak side from the treatment and she was afraid he'd fall.  So the next thing you know, the entire varsity team got up, left the top of the bleachers and came down to sit with Brandon."

Rimmer said the teachers at Crossroads South Middle School, where Brandon's sister attends, have been bringing dinner to the Dominguez family to try and help ease some of their burden.  She said Brandon has written each teacher a thank you card.

"It said thank you for bringing dinner to us and you always bring our favorites," Rimmer said.  "Brandon's mother is so grateful to everyone who has helped them in this time of need."

The districts begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday at SBHS.  The organizers of Baking for Brandon hope many residents will come out and buy a baked good or donate money to help the Dominguez family with the hardship they face over the coming weeks and months.

"We really hope that we get enough people to notice this cause," Dallas said.  "We want to get as many people as we can to come out and donate to help our little brother and make a good amount of money for their family."