Dominic Haines is a key piece to Jefferson’s wrestling team and helped lead the Dragons to a Class 3A team duals championship in January. He’s spent four years with the team and is a pillar of excellence, much like the Dragons’ wrestling program.
Dominic helped the Dragons to the team duals championship and traditional championship in 2023 before winning the same events again this season. Overall, the Jefferson wrestling program has 25 traditional titles and 21 team duals championships.
But at the GHSA traditional championships, as Jefferson was trying to repeat for the title, Haines suffered a broken neck in his Class 3A quarterfinals matchup on Feb. 13. Despite the tragedy, Jefferson went on to win the 3A team duals championship.
As many would say, it was for Dominic.
Since the injury, Haines’ father, Zach, has been providing updates through his Facebook page. Dominic was moved to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, Feb. 25 to continue his journey of recovery.
On Feb. 23, Zach gave an update that showed Dom still has his sense of, well, self confidence.
“Ok, ma’am, I’m not trying to be rude, but let me tell you why that’s not going to work out well,” Dom told a nurse.
“Oh, you know a better way to do this?” the nurse replied.
“Actually, yes,” Dom said. “I’ve had it done like 50 times. I can tell you how to do it better, if you want.”
“Ok. Tell me how this should be done,” the nurse replied before Dominic went into telling how he’d do the task at hand.
“Well, that sounds all good and well,” the nurse said. “But everything you just suggested is against protocol and regulations. I could literally get fired for doing that.”
“I mean, yeah if you get caught, but we’re chill people, we won’t say anything,” Dominic said. “Right, dad? You won’t say anything, will you? See, my dad doesn’t care. Let’s do it.”
The nurse agreed that, yes, the Haines’ are very chill people. But she still wouldn’t do it Dom’s way.
“Well, my dad can do it if you’re scared,” Dom said.
“I am not trying to play pretend nurse right now, but, I’m good,” Zach replied to Dom.
“Y’all are both sissy asses,” Dom said. “Just give it to me, I’ll do it.”
“How many meds have you given his little ass today,” Zach enquired, chuckling.
Win some, lose some.
In a recent update on Feb. 24, Dominic worked with a physical therapy nurse on a bed that allows Dom to move up and down if he pushes off with his legs, much like a squat in the gym.
Zach – as he admitted – was skeptical but unknowingly was on the verge of a major breakthrough in Dom’s recovery.
“What kind of stuff are you trying to pull, lady?” Zach thought. “It felt like she was setting him up for failure or disappointment, but I didn’t say anything and trusted the process. I’ll be damned if he didn’t push himself up! He didn’t really pay any attention because he thought the table was made to slide him back into position. He didn’t realize how huge it was until (the nurse) got all excited!”
“Was that all him?” Zach said.
“It sure was!” the therapist replied.
“Holy crap!!!” Haines said.
“Holy crap indeed!” the therapist said.
“Dominic did about 15-20 reps before his neck started hurting him too bad,” Zach wrote. “But he kept saying “Just one more!”
“That’s the Dominic I know,” Zach said. “This is huge!! Please keep the prayers flowing in!! They are being heard, and big things are happening!”
Just 10 days prior, Dominic had surgery to repair the injured vertebra, beginning the long trek to recovery.
“The negative, or at least the biggest negative is, with all the medications he’s on he’s having a hard time keeping track of time,” Haines wrote on Facebook in his third update on Feb. 15. “He thinks he’s been in here six days and feels hopeless, angry and scared. Even when we remind him what day it is, it’s short lived. When in reality, it’s only been 36 hours since his surgery.”
In the fourth update on Feb. 16, Zach explained that Dom is beginning to have sensations in his lower back and that he hasn’t had to use a ‘cough assist’ machine, which helped him cough without controlling his diaphragm.
“The negative with him feeling more is he’s having way more discomfort,” Zach wrote. “Not only pain but itching and burning sensations. I can only assume it’s because nerve endings are beginning to put more signals throughout the body. I’m not in his shoes and cannot even imagine how he’s feeling, but I’m happy he’s aware of these sensations.”
A full-nights sleep on Feb. 17 was welcomed by the Haines family – Zach and Shantel – but Dominic woke up in pain and required medication, which doctor’s will not provide unless Dominic asks for the.
“The negative of him sleeping so well was he woke up in excruciating pain,” Zach explained. “He has to verbally tell them he wants medication before they’re able to administer them. I THINK there’s certain ones they give him regardless, but the main ones, he has to ask for.”
On February 18th, Dominic was uncomfortable and the medication led to a bit of sleep talking. According to Zach, it was good to hear Dom speak like ‘Old Dom’.
“When he finally got to sleep, he was so medicated that he was having conversations in his sleep,” Haines wrote. “I don’t know who he was talking to, but he was giving them hell about football. He was rambling players, points, how many times that team has seen the playoffs and all kinds of other stats that I can’t verify are true or not, but the way he was spouting it with conviction, I had to believe him. Some may think I’m awful for joking about this, but we’re just happy to hear the “Old Dom” coming out of his mouth, even if he’s sleep talking.”
There has been a GoFundMe set up to benefit the Haines’ family on the road to recovery. You can donate by following the link. Donations have come in from people around the state and nation.
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