One El Paso trainer is beating the odds after undergoing an emergency open heart surgery which caused him to become paralyzed from the waist down.

David Claudio is a father of two, husband, and local fitness coach and trainer at Fitness First on El Paso’s west side. David has a love for helping other people on their fitness journey and lately, he has been on his journey himself.

Courtesy: David Claudio
Courtesy: David Claudio
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Back in June of 2021, while working out, David suffered an aortic rupture. He was rushed to the hospital and had to undergo open heart surgery. Since the surgery was done in a state of urgency the doctors did what they could do to save his life.

“If I wasn't as healthy as I was when the accident happened, I would have passed away,” said David.

The following day, David woke up paralyzed from the waist down and his perspective on life and fitness made a complete 180, but despite his accident, David continues to wake up every morning to train people and empower them to continue their fitness journey.

“Before my accident, my perspective on training people was to supplement their ego, now it’s about helping people,” said David. “My thoughts on physical fitness now are on mentally, physically, and emotionally.”

Courtesy: David Claudio
Courtesy: David Claudio
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Now, David has the chance to undergo a life-changing stem cell transplant that could help him walk again.

“This is supposed to regenerate any damaged tissue in my spinal cord,” explained David.”It has a 100 percent efficiency rate and after 2 years it’s only 85 percent so it's a big hope.”

David is hoping to get the stem cell transplant before he hits the 2-year mark from his accident so the chances of him walking can be even higher, but the transplant is a pretty costly procedure so he’s looking to raise funds to get the procedure done.

Courtesy: Iris Lopez
Courtesy: Iris Lopez
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David created a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising those funds. So far he has raised $8,840 but needs to raise $27,000 to be able to pay in full for the transplant, but David is hoping the community can come together for the first-ever “5K Be A Hero” to not only support his surgery costs but to raise awareness on this rare genetic disorder.

“It’s important for me to help as many people as possible and to make an impact in my community,” said David.

To sign up for the race Click here. Participants can sign up on the day of the race as well.

To donate to David’s GoFundMe page, Click here.

5k Be A Hero Walk & Run

Race Date: August 28, 2022

Location:  7401 Cimarron Park Dr 79911

Meet: 7:00 AM  Start Time: 8:00 AM

Package Pick up: August 27, 2022

Location: 3945 Doniphan Park Circle 79922

Time: 10 AM- 2 PM

5K Be A Hero
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El Paso Fitness Coach: David Claudio

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