SALEM — Next week is an important one for Greg Martinez, the Salem High basketball player who was seriously injured last summer in a bicycle accident.
On Wednesday, the 16-year-old will enroll in the Massachusetts Hospital School, a rehabilitation and educational facility in Canton.
On Friday, he will return to Salem for his first overnight at home since the Aug. 15 accident. He was hospitalized for 37 days and has been at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston since then, recovering from serious spinal and head injuries.
And on Sunday, April 27, he will be a special guest at a fundraiser in his honor from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus on the Salem Common. The event has been organized by friends to help Martinez's family, who face several large bills. They need to purchase a vehicle that can transport a wheelchair, renovate the bathroom in their home, and pay for medical items and services.
Martinez's family is out straight and needs help, friends say. The boy's father, Carlo Vargas, works two jobs, and his mother, Naomi Francisco, a staff member in the Planning Department at City Hall, has used most of her vacation and sick days.
"They're working (a lot of) jobs between them," said Salem High basketball coach Tom Doyle, who is organizing the event along with Nancy Hersey, Lonnie and Dottie Thibodeau, and Sally Hayes.
Red Sox tickets, a free week at Salem State basketball camp for a girl and boy, and sports memorabilia will be raffled at the fundraiser along with restaurant and store gift certificates. There also will be door prizes, a disc jockey and refreshments.
To buy a ticket, call Hersey (978-852-5586), Doyle (978-836-8471) or Lonnie Thibodeau (978-836-2422). A donation of $25 is requested for adults and $10 for students.
For several days leading up to the event, Bella's Pizza, 84 Highland Ave., will donate a portion of its profits to the Martinez family. The donation days are Monday through next Thursday, April 21 to 24.
Anyone who can't make it to the Knights of Columbus but would like to donate can send a check to the Greg Martinez Fund, c/o Eastern Bank, 125 Washington St., Salem, MA, 01970.
Martinez, who played on the Salem High team last year as a freshman, has made significant progress in recent months, his mother said. He took 50 steps with a walker, has more movement with his arms and has increased his memory — but he has a long way to go.
"He doesn't feel sorry for himself," Francisco said. "He feels he's going to be able to recover fully from this. ... He's special, that boy."
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