Mercedes Martinez has officially undergone the ACL surgery she needed after turning to the wrestling community for financial help.
The veteran wrestler had launched a GoFundMe after tearing the ACL in her right knee during her August 15 match against Allie Katch. Martinez previously explained that she did not have health insurance and would have to pay for the surgery herself before doctors would schedule the procedure.
Now that surgery is done. In a new video posted to Twitter, Martinez gave fans an update from the early stages of recovery and revealed that the GoFundMe covered the operation in full.
“Hey, everyone. I just wanted to do a quick, well, I guess you can say quick, just update. Thank you all for the messages, the love, support and everything that you have sent me, whether it’s through text messages, DMs, all that good stuff. It was a very long day yesterday, just kind of taking it all in.”
Martinez said she was already moving into the next phase of recovery, which includes removing the dressing, cleaning the incision and starting rehab exercises from home.
“Today we are taking the dressing off and cleaning up the incision and starting our first rehab session. Basically, it’s at home. Just me doing my own exercises is at home for today and taking the pain meds if we need them.”
She also said she has barely been using pain medication and prefers to avoid it unless she absolutely needs it.
“But me, I don’t take pain meds. Doctor says with me not taking my pain meds means I’m way ahead of the game, which just means I have a high tolerance of pain. And I prefer to do this as much as possible without any meds. And just if I need them, I’ll take them. If not, I can deal with it.”
Martinez then showed fans part of the immediate post-surgery process, explaining that the larger bandage had been removed and she was preparing to clean the area, put on a smaller dressing and get back into her brace.
“We took the big bandage off. Right now it’s now the gauze. We gotta clean this up. I’m gonna clean all this up and then put the big brace back on. Our big trusty brace right here. I’ll put that back on once I clean this out and put a different bandage on, smaller one, so we can start icing it.”
The biggest news came when Martinez confirmed that the fundraiser had accomplished exactly what she needed it to do.
“I just wanted to do a quick shout out and just say thank you all for the GoFundMe. The GoFundMe paid for the surgery in full. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That is a blessing for me where it’s one less stress and now it’s just dealing with the expenses of the recovery.”
Martinez had previously said the surgery could not be scheduled until it was paid for because she was considered a self-pay patient. The GoFundMe changed that situation, allowing her to move forward with the procedure and begin the long road back. She said the next concern is covering the costs that come with rehabilitation and recovery.
“I have done an Amazon ACL recovery wish list for some of the things that I’m figuring out now what I need to help get this recovery faster and heal faster. I didn’t realize how much I need. I’ll probably still be adding to it as the days go along and once I figure out everything, but one day at a time.”
Martinez closed the update by once again thanking everyone who helped get her through the financial hurdle and promised to keep fans updated as she heals.
“Thank you all for everything. Thank you guys for all the love and support and I will keep you guys updated as the days go by.”
The biggest obstacle was getting the surgery paid for, and that part is now behind her. Thanks to the GoFundMe, Martinez was able to get the operation done and can now turn her attention to rehab, recovery and whatever comes next after her in-ring career came to an unexpected end.
What do you think about fans helping Mercedes Martinez get the surgery she needed? Leave your feedback and let us know what you think.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
