{"id":2451,"date":"2015-07-31T20:06:15","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T20:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/victor-sandoval-pursuing-his-dream-one-step-at-a-time-2\/"},"modified":"2015-07-31T20:06:15","modified_gmt":"2015-07-31T20:06:15","slug":"victor-sandoval-pursuing-his-dream-one-step-at-a-time-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/victor-sandoval-pursuing-his-dream-one-step-at-a-time-2","title":{"rendered":"Victor Sandoval: Pursuing His Dream, One Step at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9uhNADHLjcE?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" seamless=\"\" style=\"border: 0; outline: 0;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 26-year-old Victor Sandoval&nbsp;takes the bus from Orange, California, to Dr. Craig \u201cDoc\u201d Dossman\u2019s office in downtown Long Beach, switching buses multiple times for an average commute of two hours.<\/p>\n<p>When he arrives at his destination, he knows he\u2019ll be putting in eight hours of grueling physical activity\u2014physical activity that will leave him sore for days afterward. But he\u2019s willing to put in the time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-42432\" style=\"float: left;\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/11046480_670304066424972_3931857300652602916_n.jpg\" alt=\"11046480 670304066424972 3931857300652602916 n\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/>Because what he\u2019s after isn\u2019t just any ordinary dream. Sandoval, who has been in a wheelchair since the age of 12, is fixated on an all-consuming desire: to learn to walk again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never seen someone so determined to do something,\u201d said Jose Cordon, a Long Beach resident and friend of Sandoval. \u201cHe has physical challenges far beyond what I\u2019ve ever had, and he comes in three times a week to work on it. It was that that captured me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval was diagnosed with Spastic Cerebral Palsy as a child, the most common type of Cerebral Palsy. Individuals with Spastic Cerebral Palsy experience stiffness in their movements. They have hypertonia, or increased muscle tone. Often, the wrong muscle groups are engaged or multiple groups are engaged at once, making movement difficult or impossible. Medical journals attribute spasticity to damage in the motor cortex of the brain, often at birth, as is the case for Sandoval. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The intensity of each case runs the gamut, but for Sandoval, this has meant crawling or using a wheelchair for most of his life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was raised by my grandparents, and they made me feel very positive about my disability,\u201d Sandoval told the Post. Still, life with Cerebral Palsy did not leave him unaffected, mentally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never used my wheelchair inside,\u201d said Sandoval. He said last year, he was crawling throughout the house, even after his five-year-old son was walking around full-time. \u201cIt\u2019s just frustrating, you know? A 25-year-old man trying to crawl.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was how his dream started: with the desire to stand and hold his son.<\/p>\n<p>Born and raised in Michigan, Sandoval moved to his uncle\u2019s house in California last fall in search of greater opportunity. He was living off of disability and figuring out what to do next, when he met Doc Dossman through a church friend during a trip to see a movie at a local theater. Dossman works with college, Olympic and professional athletes in sports medicine out of his office at Elm and Linden in Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thought I was paralyzed,\u201d Sandoval said. \u201cI said I\u2019m not\u2014I can move my legs and stuff, I\u2019m just weak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was joking lightly, \u2018what can I do for you?\u2019\u201d Dossman said. \u201cThen he wiggled his legs. I was like, \u2018you can move your legs?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dossman took an interest in helping Sandoval, proposing they meet three times a week to work on walking. Dossman said he\u2019d help him, pro-bono.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m at a point in my career where I\u2019ve seen it all, done it all,\u201d said Dossman. \u201cI thought I\u2019d try something new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-42433\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/11782528_736477823140929_689806627886279870_o.jpg\" alt=\"11782528 736477823140929 689806627886279870 o\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To walk, Sandoval says, the main goal is to straighten his legs and strengthen them. He works on walking, with crutches or a brace, every day. Sandoval\u2019s progress since November has inspired Dossman\u2019s elite athlete clientele. They\u2019ve dubbed him their \u201coffice mascot\u201d and have been impressed by his transformation and journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t get through my first lap without dying, you know what I mean,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n<p>Dossman said Sandoval has re-worked his diet and put an end to his smoking habit in pursuit of his dream. He\u2019s now able to walk around the office and use crutches for short distances. However, for his long, daily commute, he continues to use a wheelchair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about his heart and he\u2019s got it,\u201d said Dossman.<\/p>\n<p>But Sandoval is now at a critical juncture where funding is needed to continue his progress. Up until this point, Dossman has been able to find podiatrists, acupuncturists, and other medical professionals willing to donate their time to see Sandoval\u2019s dreams come to fruition. However, to truly stretch Sandoval\u2019s leg muscles, medical treatment in the form of botox injections is required.<\/p>\n<p> <object style=\"float: right; margin: 0 0 15px 15px; border: 0; outling: 0;\" title=\"Click Here to donate!\" data=\"\/\/funds.gofundme.com\/Widgetflex.swf\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"258\" height=\"338\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"\/\/funds.gofundme.com\/Widgetflex.swf\" \/><param name=\"quality\" value=\"high\" \/><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"page=walkwithvic&amp;template=2\" \/><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" \/><\/object> <\/p>\n<p>With numerous treatments necessary, each costing $800 to $1,500, Sandoval and his supporters have created <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/walkwithvic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a GoFundMe page&nbsp;aimed at raising $20,000 for Sandoval\u2019s treatment<\/a>. The multiple botox rounds will provide Sandoval with time to truly strengthen his muscles while his legs are stretched out, improving his chances of walking again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe effects of botox last six weeks. This gives me six weeks to focus,\u201d said Sandoval.<\/p>\n<p>A total of $770 has been raised so far for Sandoval\u2019s treatment. Family and friends are also hosting a fundraiser on August 22 from 6:00PM to 10:00PM at the Lafayette building in downtown Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a lot of us out here\u2014a lot of stuff out there is just a story. But Victor is real, not just a story,\u201d said Cordon. \u201cHe\u2019s putting in the necessary work. How often do we get to meet the story?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sandoval said his ultimate goal is to walk without crutches, stand while holding his son, throw a football and play without crawling. But he also wants to help others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to reach out to other people who are in the same situation and share my story,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to give them hope, that\u2019s my main objective. They can overcome that obstacle. Anything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>{FG_GEOMAP [33.7689315,-118.18618449999997] FG_GEOMAP}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 26-year-old Victor&nbsp;Sandoval takes the bus from Orange, California, to Dr. Craig \u201cDoc\u201d Dossman\u2019s office in downtown Long Beach, switching buses multiple times for an average commute of two hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":67785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1108],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-fundraising","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=2451"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}