His basketball talents are unquestionable and his scoring ability is remarkable. But Hansel Emmanuel Donato Domínguez’s game is not the first thing that wows people when they see him play.
It’s the fact that he only has one arm.
When he was 6, Donato Dominguez was buried under the rubble when a wall he was playing near in his native Dominican Republic collapsed. After two hours, he was rescued his father.
Unfortunately, Dominguez’s arm had to be amputated.
It was a devastating blow for his parents, one that might destroy families. Losing his arm essentially ended his dreams of playing baseball, a sport the young boy loved. But their faith was strong and they knew that their son had a higher purpose.
That purpose arrived a year later when his son picked up a basketball and asked ‘Daddy, how do I do this?’.
“My life fell apart when Hansel’s accident happened. I was the one with him and when they had to amputate his arm, I felt like it was all over. But God grabbed us and led us down this path,“ his father, Hansel Salvador Donato, said to The Orlando Sentinel.
Donato started dribbling and fell in love with the sport. He became an internet sensation, fans on Instagram posting videos of the one-armed player dominating and dunking on the competition.
Continue reading at First and Pen.
This content has been brought to you by First and Pen in partnership with TheHub.News. First and Pen “amplifies local sports stories from voices of color to the national conscience…”
Follow @FirstandPen on Twitter.
Originally posted 2021-08-14 09:48:33.
