WATSONVILLE — A fundraiser to support a Watsonville High School student-athlete, who was been in the intensive care unit since being hospitalized for a brain bleed June 30, has exceeded its initial goal of raising $20,000 to assist his family with medical costs and lost wages.
Xavier Mendoza, a sophomore known to those close to him as X, is currently stable as of Thursday, although his family is waiting on a biopsy to determine the extent of further care.
The GoFundMe campaign was established by Monica Sunzeri, the community schools specialist for Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, which Mendoza attended before Watsonville High, and where his younger brothers currently or will attend in the fall. She was grateful to see a lot of financial support in a quick amount of time, although not surprised.
“I knew that we would raise a lot just because of how strong our community is, Watsonville Charter School of the Arts especially,” she said. “We really take care of each other and look out for each other, and I think Watsonville as a community, as a whole, we really come together during difficult times.”
On June 30, as Mendoza was getting ready for bed after returning from a league basketball game, he complained about a headache. His mother, Desiree Cervantes, noticed he was behaving differently before he collapsed. He was rushed to Watsonville Community Hospital where a brain bleed was uncovered and he was placed on a ventilator. Mendoza was then transferred to the intensive care unit at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford where it was discovered he had a tumor that impacted the left side of his body as well as his ability to move and speak.
Sunzeri said staff at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts were notified about Mendoza’s hospitalization and were saddened because he was a big part of the school’s community. He played on the school’s basketball team in middle school — and brought those skills to his basketball team during his freshman year at Watsonville High — and two of his brothers, Joseph and Andre, currently attend Watsonville Charter School of the Arts while his youngest brother, Dominic, is slated to start kindergarten in the fall.
Many staff members at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts who know him, including former Principal Amy Thomas and several of his middle school teachers, have visited Mendoza in the hospital, Sunzeri said.
“He (is) a really vibrant, well-liked kid, very athletic and really known for his really positive, happy, jovial personality,” she said. “To see him in that state has been really shocking to the community.”
Sunzeri set up the GoFundMe campaign to support Mendoza’s family, as his parents would be commuting daily to Stanford and would need to take time off work.
“We’re trying to offset costs and loss of wages because we knew that (his mother) would not be able to work,” she said. “Dad too is going to have to take a lot of time off to be with X, so we wanted to try to help out however we could right away. The quickest, fastest thing we could do, we thought, was the GoFundMe to make sure that we got them funds immediately.”
Sunzeri set a goal of $20,000, which the campaign achieved Wednesday, receiving 345 donations. The initial funds will go toward assisting his family with amenities such as gas and lodging, she said.
In a message shared with the campaign Tuesday, Cervantes said her son was stable, the blood had dissipated, the tumor had not progressed and fluid was no longer being drained from his brain, although Mendoza is still unable to talk or move the left side of his body.
“We thank you for your prayers, your donations and taking the time to share my son’s story with everyone,” she wrote. “Saying thank you simply won’t ever feel like enough. I appreciate you all so much and when X wakes up from all of this, I can’t wait to show him how much of an impact he’s had on everyone and how much people are supporting him and his journey.”
Sunzeri said Mendoza’s family is waiting on a biopsy to see if the tumor is malignant, among other things.
“They’re unable to operate on the tumor because of the location,” she said. “It would just be too dangerous to attempt any kind of removal or surgery.”
Sunzeri said the biopsy might also determine if he would be able to talk or move ever again, and if so, what other resources he would need.
“This is a long road ahead,” she said. “There’s just so many unknowns, and he may need long-term care. He may not ever be able to move the (left) side of his body, so they’re looking at the costs of wheelchairs and wheelchair-accessible vehicles.”
The goal was raised to $22,000 Wednesday to offset additional costs that may be incurred.
“Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money, but when it comes to medical bills and when it comes to something of this magnitude — like (a) possible cancerous tumor — that barely scratches the surface, unfortunately, with the way our health care system is,” said Sunzeri.
Sunzeri is grateful for the support and hopes that Watsonville residents, as well as people throughout Santa Cruz County and beyond, can come together to support Mendoza.
“It’s gonna be a long road,” she said. “I’m hoping that our community can come together for the long haul.”
The campaign can be accessed at Gofundme.com/f/donate-to-xavier-mendozas-healing-journey.
