Faith, Resilience Help Athlete Through Life-Threatening Crisis

Faith, Resilience Help Athlete Through Life-Threatening Crisis

By Emmi van Zoest

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It all started with a headache. A seemingly normal ailment, but Malachi Wright doesn't get headaches. And he definitely doesn't get headaches that force him to leave work early or have him confined to the couch and throwing up for three straight days.

That's when his mom, Ivonne Mancilla, knew this was something more.

It was the summer of 2023. Wright - who had just completed his second year at Cal State San Marcos, where he plays for the men's soccer team - was experiencing pain like he had never felt before.

"He has a high pain tolerance," Mancilla said. "I started noticing how much he was sleeping and how he was walking very fragile. I realized it wasn't a normal headache."

On the third day of the headache, Mancilla took Wright to urgent care. Doctors treated it as a migraine, giving him some medication and sending him home. But the pain continued to be unbearable. Wright told his mom that he felt like he was dying.

On day four, Wright went to the emergency room. It saved his life.

Wright spent the next 40 days in the hospital, undergoing three brain surgeries with no idea what the future would bring. No certainty if he could return to school, let alone soccer, his passion from the time he was a young child.

But Wright defied all odds.

"I hope to get my story out to people so that they can see anything is possible," Wright said. "I am trying to bring people inspiration and give glory to God. That was my thing in the hospital, having faith and staying faithful to God, knowing that I'll be OK and he's got me."

Wright was guided by his faith throughout his hospital stay. He and his mom prayed throughout the journey, and she kept a bible verse at the edge of her son's bed that they read every day as he fought for his life. It's Psalm 30:2:

Lord my god, I called to you for help, and you healed me.

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Those prayers began virtually the moment Wright arrived at the emergency room. A CT scan showed that his brain was filling with fluid, and an MRI revealed a cyst in the third ventricle of his brain.

When a neurosurgeon came to review Wright's scans, she was horrified. No one had informed her of his highly critical state. He was dying.

"They said his brain was like a balloon and that it could burst at any moment," Mancilla said. "I had to sign a paper giving them permission to go in and drain his brain immediately because he could have brain damage or die."

There was not space available or time to get Wright into an operating room. Instead, ICU nurses rushed into his room to assist the neurosurgeon, who numbed and drilled a hole in Wright's head to drain the fluid.

Doctors initially wanted to place a permanent shunt in Wright's brain. Mancilla was a fierce advocate for Wright throughout his hospital stay, earning the nickname "Bulldog" from nurses. She was resistant to the shunt, worried it would affect Wright's ability to pursue his dream of becoming a firefighter. After she expressed her concerns, the lead neurosurgeon opted for a temporary shunt instead.

Wright was in and out of consciousness for much of his time in the hospital, but a strong support system - including his mom, his aunt Vanessa, members of the family's church, and coaches and teammates from CSUSM's soccer team - played a crucial role in helping him through the process.

The constant stream of visitors led Mancilla to discover the positive impact that Wright has had on so many people. His manager at Casero Taqueria, where he still works, reached out to Mancilla asking for permission to start a GoFundMe. The community raised $14,000, the exact amount needed to cover the family's maximum out-of-pocket medical costs.

"I didn't realize how many people Malachi has impacted," Mancilla said. "Sometimes as a parent, you don't get to see all that until these types of things happen. Sometimes we focus a little too much on what they're doing wrong and not on all the other good things that they're doing that maybe they don't tell you about.

"I told him, 'This is all because of the seeds that you've planted out in the world, and this is how it's all coming back to you. So continue to be who you are.' I am so proud of that. I was such a proud parent."

Wright endured three brain surgeries during his hospital stay. The first removed the majority of the cyst, the second cleared residuals of the cyst and the third addressed blood clots.

It was a physically and mentally draining process. After the first surgery, Wright was temporarily paralyzed on his left side. He couldn't sleep and was in constant agony.

"It was the worst pain I felt in my life. It was excruciating," Wright said. "It was really hard. I was confused, wondering where I was. It was a lot of scary stuff."

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It wasn't until Wright's 35th day in the hospital that Mancilla felt like her son would be OK. His pain levels were reduced and he could walk again. But the biggest sign to Mancilla that Wright was doing better? He asked for his phone, which he hadn't been able to use for most of his hospital stint.

Though Wright's pain was finally under control, other challenges remained once he left the hospital. He underwent cognitive, physical and speech therapy. Doctors expected the recovery process to take two years, but Mancilla knew her son had the fortitude for a quicker recovery. She could see that Wright was capable of more than he was initially allowed to do in the rehabilitation process, and her tireless advocacy paid off.

Wright returned to CSUSM in the fall of 2023, just months after his hospital release. He eased back in by taking one class before increasing his load to three courses in spring 2024. He is grateful for the support he received throughout this time from coaches, teammates and athletic department staff, also noting the important role that CSUSM's Disability Support Services played in helping him return to the classroom.

A little more than a year after his three surgeries, Wright was back as a full-time student and soccer player. Wright didn't just settle into classes, he thrived in them. He received a 4.0 grade-point average, making him the highest academic performer on the soccer team.

"Not only did he heal perfectly, he's a better version of himself," Mancilla said. "He turned something that caused him so much pain into good. He continues to make good choices for himself. He uses that painful experience and turns it into good."

That includes his efforts on the soccer field. Returning to the sport he loves was an impressive milestone for Wright, especially because it was considered virtually impossible just months earlier.

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the 2024 season came in a match against Biola University. As the first half was winding down, Wright scored his first goal since the health scare. Mancilla, who never misses a game, ran down to the field. Coaches welcomed and hugged Mancilla as she rejoiced over the milestone.

"It was a great, raw moment of emotion, love and gratitude," said Ron Pulvers, CSUSM's men's soccer coach. "An experience I will never forget.

"Malachi is a tireless worker in all aspects of life. He lives our core value of unconditional gratitude at the highest levels and lives his life with unequalled faith."

Wright is back on the field this fall as he continues work toward a bachelor's degree in human development. He is scheduled to graduate in fall 2026, with an ambition of becoming a firefighter.

While his time spent in the hospital was scary, the support he received helped him overcome adversity and his faith helped him remain positive. He now uses his experience to encourage others and push himself to perform the best he can.

"People meet Jesus at the end of the rope. And that was the end of my rope," Wright said. "Going through this whole experience with my brain really changed my perspective on life and it changed my character as a man."

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