SAN DIEGO — Priest Rivera was in sixth grade at Capri Elementary watching his teacher conduct a science experiment when the glass container exploded. Rivera's head caught fire, burning him severely and forcing him to UC San Diego's burn center.
"I remember going to science class and the teacher was talking about how she's into a science experiment. She started lighting like this black snake and it exploded and, well, it was chaos after that," Rivera recalled.
Rivera had several surgeries. To take his mind off of the pain and the discomfort, Rivera's parents brought him some golf balls and a glass jar.
"There were all of these what-ifs, and I was just like, you know what, I need to get my mind off of that and focus on something good. I need something to look forward to, to put a smile on my face because I'm having surgeries and constantly feeling down on myself like am I gonna get over this I would putt three balls into a glass jar, go sit back down, and it brought a smile to my face," recalls Rivera.
Now several years later, Rivera has started the Priest James Foundation and is installing putting greens at trauma centers so others who are recovering from traumatic injuries can try and take their mind off of things.
In June of this year, Rivera opened his first putting green at the Banister House at UC San Diego Hospital in Hillcrest, the same hospital where he was treated after that sixth-grade science experiment that went wrong.
Now, Rivera is looking to expand and bring putting greens to other hospitals to help them get their mind off of what they are dealing with.
"I would love to just build as many as I can around the whole world," said Rivera.
That dedication is making his mother proud.
"I think to sit back and watch him come out of that adversity with something so positive. It's just there are no words."
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