GoFundMe set up to help family of Thunder Ridge student diagnosed with rare cancer

IDAHO FALLS — Community members are rallying together to support a junior at Thunder Ridge High School who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Dominic Nunez had been having abdominal pain for a few weeks. The pain ended up moving into the pelvis/groin area and his family became concerned, according to Jeremiah Brock, the family’s liaison who was also Nunez’s former Grid Kid football coach.

“They brought him into the emergency department where over the course of the next few days, it was found he had basically a softball size tumor in his pelvis and abdomen area,” Brock explained.

He was later diagnosed with stage four Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer that’s highly aggressive.

Nunez has already undergone two surgeries and there’s the possibility he’ll need more surgeries down the road. As of right now, his treatment plan consists of about five months of chemotherapy, followed by a couple of months of daily radiation treatments.

After that, there’s the potential he’ll need up to another 20, or more, weeks of additional follow-up chemotherapy.

“In total, they have on their plan right now, 67 weeks of treatment,” Brock mentioned. “All of the radiation treatment, they will have to be in Salt Lake for.”

Brock said Nunez, who played football for Thunder Ridge during his freshman and sophomore year, is a resilient and humble person.

“(He’s) a good kid, a funny kid (and) very calm … and as far as I know, a friend to everybody,” Brock said. “I’ve never seen him have conflict with anybody.”

A GoFundMe has been set up for Nunez and his family to help with the costs associated with the unexpected diagnosis such as medical bills and travel expenses to and from Utah.

As of Tuesday afternoon, $8,083 had been raised of its $15,000 goal. Brock asks those who are able to consider donating to the fundraiser to help the Nunez family during this difficult time. To donate, click here.