Fundraiser aims to support Sacramento Republic FC captain’s family as son undergoes heart surgery
By Web staff
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A fundraiser launched on GoFundMe is raising tens of thousands of dollars to support Rodrigo ‘Roro’ López’s family as his son undergoes heart surgery.
According to the fundraiser, 10-year-old Roman López was born with aortic stenosis. With this condition, the aortic valve narrows and blood can’t flow normally. It can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue, which would be especially difficult for Roman as he plays soccer and hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps.
The GoFundMe was launched by fellow Republic player Luis Felipe.
“As a teammate and a friend of his father I know the Lopez family would never ask for any help,” Felipe wrote. “You’ll often see Roman in the stands at Sacramento Republic games cheering on his dad, Roro, and the team that has become his family.”
As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser surpassed the original $20,000 goal, raising more than $34,000 from more than 300 donations. López’s Republic teammates and other professional soccer players were among those who donated.
“Seeing the love we’re receiving in these hard times makes this process easier,” López shared on X, otherwise known as Twitter, on Monday in an initial statement. “Sometimes we don’t realize it’s okay to accept help during difficult times. Thank you all in advance.”
In a follow-up post on Tuesday, López said the fundraiser was a surprise and called it a “blessing to be surrounded with such giving fans, players and teams from various leagues – USL & MLS, and every community we have been a part of in Sacramento, Mexico and beyond.”
When asked to comment on the situation, Republic FC referred KCRA 3 to López’s statement, which the team also shared.
On Tuesday, Republic FC separately announced that López was honored by USL Championship by being named to the Week 6 Team of the Week for his performance during Saturday’s 1-1 match against FC Tulsa.
López scored Republic’s sole goal off an assist from Felipe in the 33rd minute. This was the second time this season he’d been named to the team of the week by his league.
Republic next plays against Orange County SC on the road on Saturday.
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