Meet Adaptive Athlete: Sergio Gonzalez II

Raised just outside of Dallas, TX, Sergio spent his childhood playing many sports, but he eventually zeroed in on baseball. He loved becoming an expert in the game and spending quality time with his friends. Sergio graduated high school in 2009 and went on to enlist in the US Army.

 

Within his first year of service, Sergio went through Bootcamp and was combat deployed as an infantryman to Afghanistan, where his role on patrols was mine sweeping. On October 16th, 2010, while medevacing his platoon leader, Sergio stepped on a landmine causing major damage to his right leg. 

 

Since his leg was still intact and he was so young, Sergio opted for limb salvage, however after the last 12 years of pain, infections, and an open wound on the bottom of his foot, he decided to amputate on October 20th, 2022. 

 

Now, as a new amputee, Sergio is excited to get his life back. After years of pain, he’s looking forward to enjoying physical activity again along with learning how to walk on his prosthetic. Over the past 10 years, his mindset slowly shifted from enjoying pushing himself to one that's afraid of going too hard. He’s now looking forward to finding different ways to compete with himself again.