He has already excelled at the college level, won a dunk contest and earned a college scholarship to the United States. This is her inspirational story.
At just 6 years old, Hansel Emmanuel Donato had to have most of his left arm amputated. Son of former professional basketball player Hansel Salvador Donato, this boy from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, suffered that calamity in 2004.
He was playing with some friends and climbed a wall under construction that collapsed. He was trapped for almost two hours, until a rescue team was able to get him out and take him to the hospital alive.
They saved his life, but the injury changed the whole family’s future. His left arm was crushed and there was no way to get it back.
“Everything fell apart for me. I was in charge of him at the time and when they had to amputate his arm, I felt that it was my fault, that everything was over. Luckily, God showed us another way, ”said his father.
The amputation had to be below the shoulder, but despite this, the boy dedicated himself to following in his father’s footsteps, until he became a star. And, last year, in 2021, he traveled to the United States, where he excelled at the Life Christian Academy, a Florida high school, so much so that he won a sports college scholarship at Tennessee State, where he will study and could play in the highest NCAA division, basketball at that level in that country.
“No disability or limitation defines you, that you have to work and go for your dreams. And mine is to play in the NBA. I feel that I can”, said Enmanuel recently, who had to get used to it, adapt, overcome everything. When is my arm going to grow ”, he asked his father, wondering why they all had two and he only had one.
“I cried and he gave me strength. He told me, ‘daddy, don’t worry, I’m going to be fine. I already know how to do some things,’” his father said. “I started playing it after the accident and, of course, the first few times were difficult experiences because I lost my balance, I went to one side, and I couldn’t control the ball well,” Enmanuel said.
But little by little, he learned and not only that, but that he can do more than most who have two arms. Now he is a versatile 18-year-old player, 1.96 meters tall, who dreams of playing in the NBA.
His school coach recounts that, on one occasion, he gave the players a penance that they would have to do push-ups if they missed layups, and Enmanuel missed one. He surprised everyone, he went on to do 20 in a row, which motivated everyone on the team.
“Disability is nothing, it happens to anyone. You have to keep going and never give up. Never look back. It’s hard to recover from and it’s frustrating. But God and the dream of being like my dad inspired me,” Enmanuel said. “Some have doubted his ability on the pitch and even think the social media videos are faked. But when they see it live, their jaws drop. He is a phenomenon of nature, he has a rare gift, ”said his father.
At the collegiate level, the Dominican averaged 26 points, 11 boards and 7 assists per game, which earned him a scholarship in the university world. Previously, he even won a dunk event in City Palms, Florida.
His case is not unique, and, for the data, it stands out that in the NCAA he will be the fourth player with only one arm to be on a team, after Zach Hodskins, Grant Dykstra and Kevin Laue.
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The story of Emmanuel Donato, who lost half an arm and dreams of playing in the NBA | News from El Salvador