By Matt Gade

605 Sports

The phrase “life is short” can be considered a cliche for some, but Domico Rodriguez that phrase really hit home on a personal level when the 45-year-old knew something was wrong and he lost control of the right side of his body.

“I was at home watching the CU-Nebraska game on that Saturday afternoon, and then all of a sudden I started to get a little lightheaded, and then I realized I couldn't really use or control my right hand and my right leg, and I was home alone, and all of a sudden, you know, I just couldn't function.”

Rodriguez, who assumed the role of executive director for the Rapid City Sports Commission in Dec. 2022, was doing his best to stay calm and figure out what he was going to do. He said a lot of it was keeping calm and managing his breathing.

“I couldn't even open my cell phone to call anyone or do anything,” he said. “Telling the story and some were like, ‘Why didn't you call Siri? Why didn't you say Alexa call?’ But if you have ever gone into something like that, it's just like trying to figure out what the hell is going on and how to deal with it.”

Rodriguez said he knew his wife, Jamie, would be home soon, so he was doing his best to prepare himself to get to the hospital as soon as she came home. He stumbled along to his closet to change into gym clothes while knocking pictures and frames off the wall as he made his way to his clothes.

Just earlier that day, Rodriguez had been coaching youth football and was still in his coaching attire.

Domico Rodriguez signals five-second remaining on the play clock while officiating the Rapid City Central - Sioux Falls Washington game on Friday, Oct. 4 at O'Harra Stadium.

“My wife came home, and I told her, ‘We got to get to the hospital. Something's wrong,’” he said. “She drove me to the hospital. I couldn't really speak. So, my youngest son (Devon), who she was with, said, ‘Dad’s speaking Spanish,’ because I couldn't formulate words or anything like that.”

Within 30 minutes of arriving at Monument Hospital, Rodrigez said he was in surgery.

While at the hospital they discovered Rodriguez’s carotid artery behind his ear had collapsed, additionally he had developed a blood clot.

A stent was placed into Rodriguez’s artery and treated with medications to help Rodriguez in his recovery efforts.

That Sunday, Rodriguez said he still was unable to really speak and had minimal control on his right side still.

While watching Sunday night football, Rodriguez fell asleep, but when he woke up something had changed. 

“I woke up the next morning and I could speak again, and I could move my limbs and everything else,” he said. “Something happened over the course of those hours when I went to sleep — it was like a miraculous recovery, and then all of a sudden, I was, I wouldn't say fine, but I could function. 

So, the nurse said, ‘call your wife. She's going to be very happy that you can talk.’ I had the conversation with (Jamie) and then all the doctors came in and started working through the tests and making sure I was good. And they discharged me that Monday, about 2 p.m.”

Rodriguez said his older son, DJ, 14, was hit hardest by what was happening to Domico. 

“He knew what was going on, and he can articulate mortality at that 14 age, and I couldn't speak to him and all those things, and he could just see somebody who he admires not functioning the way that I normally do.”

Rodriguez said his family was his biggest motivation to get back to normal. Even when he was still unable to articulate sentences, he wanted to get back to normal for them. 

That Monday morning when Rodriguez called Jamie said he was able to tell them the good news at the morning breakfast before school. 

“He just said, ‘What's up?’ Like 14-year-olds say,” Rodriguez said with a laugh about DJ.

Rodriguez took that week off, feeling almost back to normal he made it a goal to get back to work as quick as possible. 

By the 16th, Rodriguez was back at work. 

Domico Rodriguez stands next to the Sioux Falls Washington team captains ahead of the coint toss during the Rapid City Central - Sioux Falls Washington game on Friday, Oct. 4 at O'Harra Stadium.

“Everyone was really just apprehensive about me getting back to work. But it was one of those things that I was like, ‘This is my goal to get back,’” he said. “Physically I'm fine, but the only drawback I had was a little speech issue. And of course, I come back to work that first day, and I do a TV interview… I just wanted to prove to myself, prove to my family, my co-workers, that life comes at you from a ton of different angles. Shit happens and the opportunity to push through adversity. I could have sat home. My job would have been here for me when I left, but I don't function that way.”

And by that Friday, the 20th, Rodriguez was back officiating on the field.

Rodriguez said while he was mentally ready to go, the time off from doing anything made him a little out of shape. 

But since that first game, Rodriguez has done everything he can to get as back to normal as he can. 

After the Lakota Nation Invitational volleyball tournament, Rodriguez is gearing up for the South Dakota State and Northern Colorado basketball game on Nov. 14 at The Monument.

During the whole ordeal, Rodriguez said the amount of support, prayers and people reaching out to check on him was almost overwhelming.

Growing up in Aurora, Colorado just outside of Denver, Rodriguez said there he felt like he easily could be lost in the crowd but in Rapid City, there’s a community there and throughout the state.

“I do a lot of work with kids in the community. I coach three sports, all those parents that I've been coaching their kids for the last seven years, all of the different people that you interact with just doing what I love to do, it obviously made an impact on families and kids and people in the community and throughout the state.

“It was humbling to see the kind of support. I'm not from the area and you're oftentimes, in those communities, just a small fish in a big pond. Here, you can just impact so many more lives. You can impact the community, but also, they can impact you as well. And that's the part that this is where I need to be. This is home. This is why I'm here.”

Rodriguez said he's grateful for the support he's received since his stroke and is glad to be back out on the field.

Looking back on it, Rodriguez admits that his original diagnosis was not good but with his ability to bounce back coupled with the support he’s received from the community. It’s going to make his job even easier.

Next week, Rodriguez will be out of town at a trade show doing his job to sell Rapid City.

“I think it's a little more perspective when doing this (job) how great of a community this is and trying to sell that to people who may not know about us or anything like that,” he said. “I think it's a little more real now, so it's an easier sell.”