By Jennifer Sawhney

Dion Wilson, Casa Grande High School’s flag football coach and beloved custodian, wasn’t feeling so well during practice. But he wanted to push through.

The 37-year-old father of four was slurring his words. His hands felt numb. His wife, Rayona Lovely Wilson, said Dion later told her “walking was impossible.”

On July 29, after practice, he drove himself to a Santa Rosa hospital where doctors discovered he suffered not one, but two strokes. He remained hospitalized until Aug. 10, and he is now at a rehabilitation center in Vallejo, where he will “stay until he’s good to go home,” Rayona Lovely said. “That could be up to three months.”

In response, Casa Grande parent Kinyatta Reynolds started a GoFundMe to raise money for the family and to help spread the word.

“I was perplexed that it wasn’t communicated to a lot of people for whatever reason,” she said.

Reynolds learned about Wilson's hospitalization more than a week after he was admitted, only after she didn’t hear back from him about some flag football questions, which she found odd. Reynolds described Wilson as “the nicest person ever,” and said he is “part of the pulse of Casa" – the kind of person who “knows what people want before they even have to ask.”

So far, donors – including Casa Grande parents and several district and high school staffers – have donated more than $7,600 toward the $10,000 goal.

Reynolds wanted to make sure that if Wilson needed any extended care that could put his job security at risk, his family would have financial support to fall back on. Someone from their church also set up a meal train to assist the family.

For about two weeks, Rayona Lovely has been the sole caretaker of their four kids and also attends Dion’s appointments, traveling back and forth from their home in Windsor to the Vallejo rehab center.

“Your village is so huge,” Rayona Lovely told her husband. “These people really care about you.”

Dion insists he doesn’t need help. Rayona Lovely assured him it’s okay to accept it. “I know people love him, but he didn’t realize how many people love him," she said.

Of their four children, the two youngest are taking it the hardest, Rayona Lovely said. They are having a tough time processing the big emotions around this change. Their second-youngest, who plays football on a local team, wants daddy to be home to watch him play on Saturday, she said.

Dion played in high school and college, and is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. (Rayona Lovely is a fan of the New England Patriots, and their eldest goes for the Los Angeles Rams.)

Even while hospitalized, Dion has been talking about the flag football team, Rayona Lovely said. He’s asked about the jersey order, and whether the kids are getting to practice.

“He loves the game of football, it’s a part of his life. He can’t turn it off,” she said.

Beyond football, he’s well-liked by the student body, with several former students reaching out to the family.

“He is easily the most favorite person” within the Casa Grande community, said Katie Pisciotta, who was the assistant principal until the end of the last school year. She is now the principal at Penngrove Elementary School.

“Dion is one of the hardest working people I know, who has the most fun while doing it," she said. "He always has a smile on his face. He’s always willing to give a helping hand and he brings so much joy into what he does."

Earlier this year, Wilson was nominated for custodial and maintenance services employee of the year through the Sonoma County Office of Education, a recognition for employees who demonstrate “exceptional service to local students, schools and districts,” according to the county’s office of education.

In the meantime, many are rallying for Wilson's recovery.

“Dion cares about everyone," Rayona Lovely said. "He just wants to get back to work. He wants to get back to his people, which is his job, and seeing all the faces of the kids. He was hoping to get back for the first day of school. He cares about them all so much and he misses being there for everyone at this school.”