Painful Departure: A Tribute to Orlando Hidalgo
The sun had barely begun its descent when the phone rang. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame’s electrifying young star, felt her heart skip a beat as she glanced at the screen. It was her mother. Something in her gut told her this wasn’t just a routine call.
“Hannah…” her mother’s voice trembled on the other end, her words barely above a whisper. “It’s your father. He’s… he’s gone.”
Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. Gone? No. That wasn’t possible. He had just sent her a message this morning, telling her how proud he was of her, how he couldn’t wait to see her play in the next game. He had been her biggest supporter, her coach, her mentor, her guiding light. How could he be gone?
Tears blurred her vision as the weight of the moment pressed down on her chest. She collapsed onto the floor of her dorm room, her sobs muffled by the sleeve of her sweatshirt. The memories flooded in like a tidal wave—long nights in the gym, his voice pushing her to be better, his warm embrace after every victory, his steady reassurance after every defeat.
Her teammates, sensing something was wrong, rushed into the room. Sonia Citron knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, while Coach Ivey stood silently at the doorway, pain etched into her face. They all knew how much Orlando Hidalgo had meant to Hannah. He wasn’t just a father—he was the foundation of her journey, the reason she played with such relentless determination.
Hours later, she found herself in the Notre Dame practice gym, alone. The ball bounced rhythmically against the hardwood as she wiped away another tear. “This one’s for you, Dad,” she whispered, staring up at the rafters.
She could almost hear his voice echo through the empty space.
“Keep pushing, baby girl. Never stop.”
And she wouldn’t. Because that’s what he would have wanted. Because that’s what he taught her—to fight, to persevere, to turn pain into fuel.
The world had lost Orlando Hidalgo, but his spirit would live on in every game she played, in every shot she took, in every victory she earned.
And when she stepped onto the court next, she would play with a fire the world had never seen before.
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