Dom Johnson is one of the most giving people I have known.
During the fires last year, Dom stayed behind after his neighborhood had been evacuated. In addition to hosing down roofs, Dom looked for and offered care to stranded pets and was constantly on the phone to neighbors with updates on their homes.
Last year, Dom donated a kidney to someone he barely knew . . . a friend of a friend. Why? “The guy needed it,” Dom explained.
You might know of Dom or his family.
His dad, the late Deron Johnson, was a high school All-American at San Diego High in the 1950s and played for the minor league Padres before spending 16 years in the major leagues. Both Dom and Deron Jr. were outstanding high school players.
Dom remains active in the baseball community, volunteering as pitching coach of Poway High's team and helping a number of local players, including giving free pitching lessons to less fortunate kids in the area.
I met Dom 2½ years ago at a charity golf tournament. We started talking and I told Dom I was looking for an offseason throwing partner because my brother had just suffered a torn biceps.
Dom told me to drop by any time I needed to throw. Any time. And he meant it.
It was while working out with Dom that I realized how much he did for everyone else. The point is, Dom has always been there to help anyone in need.
Now, Dom and his family needs the community's help.
While he was still recuperating from his kidney surgery in March, Dom learned his 15-year-old daughter, Alexis, was suffering from a rare type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma.
Five out of a million children between the ages of 10 and 18 develop this form of aggressive cancer each year. The survival rate is 60 percent.
Alexis was diagnosed shortly after she had made Poway High's junior varsity softball team. She had been complaining of knee pain. But when it progressively worsened, an MRI revealed the bone tissue in her lower right femur was unhealthy.
Then came the diagnosis.
Alexis immediately began 10 weeks of chemotherapy. Recently, her right knee and femur were removed. The knee was replaced and a rod was inserted. Depending on how successful the surgery was, Alexis faces from 30 to 42 more weeks of chemotherapy.
Alexis is a great young lady.
On Aug. 11 at Stoneridge Country Club in Poway, Dom's friends are hosting a golf tournament and sports memorabilia auction to benefit Alexis. The list of players and teams donating to the cause grows daily. To join or play, contact AlexisJohnson.net.
