BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Shafter junior Nick Garza was looking forward to his third wrestling season. After experiencing shoulder and abdominal pain, Nick and his family took a trip to the doctor, where he learned he was being diagnosed with leukemia.
As he fights this disease, wrestling is still at the forefront of his mind.
"It's been really tough having to see everyone else out there I know wrestling, and I have to sit on the sidelines," he said.
Because of his cancer treatment, Nick has lost his hair. That's when wrestlers from all over Kern County stepped in to show him that he's not alone.
The movement started at Golden Valley then to North, onto Foothill and of course, Shafter. High school athletes and coaches came together and shaved their heads to stand by their fellow wrestler.
"It's just hair, you know, I mean its something we all could do to rally and support him," Shafter wrestling coach Spencer Hill said. "That's something that none of us could even imagine. Every time I see him, he has a smile on his face, and he's happy to be around us."
As Garza continues to battle leukemia, the wrestlers will continue to support him. To see how they're rallying around him you can search #WrestleForNick and #PinCancer on Instagram.
