OLNEY, Md. —
When Mario Gonzalez was born, doctors told his mother they didn’t expect him to live.
Somehow, that infant born in Guatemala survived, and went on to touch the lives of thousands in the United States.
For nearly four decades, Gonzalez has worked in maintenance at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland. During that time, he’s become a fixture within the school’s walls.
“This is his happy place,” said Joey Cabigas, a science teacher who has worked alongside Gonzalez since 1996. “He’s really made a difference to a lot of students here.”
Gonzalez lives with cerebral palsy, which makes his movement and speech a challenge. Still, he often communicates with staff and students at the school using high fives and smiles.
In honor of Gonzalez’s 70th birthday, Good Counsel recently honored him with a “MarioFest” celebration and a scholarship fund established in his name.
Hundreds of people attended MarioFest in September and celebrated Gonzalez before the school’s matchup against Riverdale Baptist.
During halftime, the crowd sang Gonzalez “Happy Birthday.” Several times throughout the night, he was moved to tears.
“The fact that my uncle was able to have this fulfilling life with joy and love... it’s a beautiful thing to see,” Cathy Pajaro, Gonzalez’s niece, said.
If you’d like to contribute to the “Spirit of Mario” scholarship, you can do so here.
This story is part of WUSA9’s ongoing series “The Heart of It”. If you have an inspiring story you’d like to share with Sean Martinelli, you can email him at TheHeartOfIt@wusa9.com