Though she was recalling some trying times, Ingrid Cheek was joyful as she recounted what her father told her in the days following his stroke.
“He said he heard God tell him to not be afraid because He was with him,” said Cheek.
Raul Sanchez’s faith-inspired confidence was not misplaced. Today, the Luling man is back at work at the age of 68. The stroke took a toll – the right side of his body is paralyzed – but he hasn’t let it stop him.
“He overcame a lot,” Cheek said. “A whole lot. We’ve been blessed.”
On the day of his stroke, Sanchez was in Tampa, Florida on a business trip – the salesman was being honored with an award for his success in the field.
But on the day he was to fly back home, he began feeling unwell.
“He said that he felt weird … ‘like my limbs are heavy like concrete,’” Cheek recalled.
She told him that he needed to go to the hospital – the call came early in the morning, too early to go to an urgent care facility – but Cheek said she had no idea that her father was suffering an oncoming stroke.
“That should have been a memorable day, but it turned our world upside down,” Cheek said.
This was an unexpected turn for Sanchez, who was very active and seemingly completely healthy. A former standout soccer player who as a young man came to the United States from Belize on a soccer scholarship, he passed down his knowledge to the 13-year-olds he coached in the sport. Every morning, he would get up at 5 a.m. and go for a jog.
It was a scary time for he and his family.
“I just kind of ask, ‘OK God, what is the purpose of this … what are you showing us? What are you teaching me? Because how do you make sense of someone doing so well in life, involved in sports still, coaching young men, and for this to happen?” Cheek said.
“We didn’t know what the future held. When you have a stroke, (doctors) kind of leave it vague because they don’t want you to say, ‘Hey, we were told he’d be able to accomplish this or do that by this time.’ And you just don’t know. Will he be able to walk? And it depends on the patient as well and how determined they are.”
That part wasn’t a problem for Sanchez, who attacked his rehab with the same drive he had on the soccer field and in his sales career.
“I’d pick him up from physical therapy and it was like someone had dumped a bucket of water on his head,” Cheek said. “He’s so strong-willed and determined. It was emotional for him, but he was going to make it as good as it could be.”
His work paid off, as he took his situation from not knowing if he would be able to walk again to returning to work and getting back into the flow of his busy life. He lacks mobility on his right side, but is able to walk with a cane – and the right-hander is even writing again.
“He was filling out some paperwork the other day and said, ‘Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this,’” Cheek said. “He taught himself how to write with his left-hand. He’s a great example to myself and his grandchildren … you don’t know what life will throw at you, but he’s showing them that you just keep pushing forward.”
Sanchez’s extended community also showed how much he’s meant to them. A GoFundMe page posted by Cheek to help offset his medical expenses raised almost $20,000. And so many who were close to him also helped him in his recovery in other ways.
“I don’t think you ever realize what people think about or feel about you until you’re in a tragic situation,” Cheek said. “The kind of love and support he saw, we’re so thankful. And the same goes for my coworkers and my friends showing him that as well … it really helped him through the recovery process.”
As did his faith.
“We wouldn’t have gotten through it without our faith,” said Cheek. “He never went through a depression with it, he leaned into his faith. And as a family, I believe our faith got so much stronger because of this.”
