AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — An Aurora dad who spent the last six years giving underprivileged kids a chance in competitive soccer is now witnessing a miracle in his own life after a nearly fatal accident.
In 2016, coach Ben Sandoval started volunteering to help children who couldn’t afford membership in Colorado competitive soccer leagues. He currently leads four different competitive teams in Colorado, helping more than 70 children.
“You don’t just join coach Ben’s team, you join his family,” assistant coach Thomas Gilhooly said. “You join his community and he welcomes you with open arms.”
On multiple occasions, Sandoval has used his personal money to ensure any kid who wants to play, has an opportunity to do so, never expecting a penny in return.
“There’s a lot of parents that tell me, ‘coach, I don’t have the money to pay for the uniform, or I can’t pay the league,’ and they’re such a good player,” Sandoval said. “That’s where I come up, I get money out of my pocket and say ‘I want your kid to keep playing.’ There is no kid that should be left out because of money.”
Now, Sandoval’s community has a chance to give back, after he experienced a near-death accident.
“It probably was around 55 feet high, unfortunately, an accident that happened in three seconds,” Sandoval said. “I fell through a small patio with aluminum roof or steel, I went through it and fell on concrete.”
Doctors told Sandoval eight out of 10 people experiencing a fall that he had, would not have lived or been able to walk again. He suffers from six broken ribs, a broken clavicle, neck fractures, and a number of other injuries. However, he is expected to make a full recovery.
“I was blessed. I still have a big mission to keep helping all of these boys.
To help the man whose life has revolved around helping Colorado’s youth, Gilhooly created a GoFundMe, sharing Sandoval’s story.
Within 10 days, people have raised nearly $30,000 dollars for the coach’s medical expenses and the long road to recovery ahead.
“All of these people calling me and supporting me, I just feel blessed,” Sandoval said. “There are so many people that care about me and support me.
You can find Coach Ben’s GoFundMe here.