Olympian & coach Romelio Salas needs medical care

Lane Shaffer is organizing this fundraiser.

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Romelio Salas is known to some as a former Olympian, to some as a wrestling coach, to some as a Spanish teacher, and to others as a father. But few know that he has also been quietly battling a rare gut illness for almost twenty years now and has been in and out of the hospital after multiple intimate surgeries with no progress in sight, and even despite constant pain continues to give back to the community, Kaiser Permanente has been unable to provide the care he needs for decades now, so he will visit Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for a second opinion, hoping to have a better and more alleviating result.

We are trying to raise $5000.00, a deposit requested by the Mayo Clinic to cover the battery of tests he will undergo. Coach Salas has dedicated his life and body to the sport of wrestling and the athletes he has coached: it’s time for the wrestling community to help as he embarks on this journey to find a possible solution and advocate for his own health. Coach Salas has so much talent and wisdom to invest in kids who want to become better wrestlers and contributors to our society—but in order to continue coaching and mentoring young athletes, he needs your help to get the urgent care his body requires.

Coach Salas has been diagnosed with Pseudo-Obstruction of the bowels, which is caused by something unknown. This obstruction causes intense bloating, cramping, and breathing problems at times. His diet is incredibly limited as a result, and he still must be admitted to the emergency room on occasion when the pain is too great. Even despite these significant obstacles, Coach Salas returns week after week to coach the McDaniel High School wrestling team, where he has been building talented and respectful individuals since 2015. We are so lucky to have such a knowledgeable and accomplished coach who strives to develop wrestlers that are technically sound and mentally polished. Our team has recently reached one of its greatest levels of success yet under his guidance: we are sending three wrestlers to the national competition in Fargo, ND this July and had our first state placer since 2011.