Actor/MMA fighter Mariano Mendoza (center in plaid shirt) and his wife, Dawn, visited the staff at Kindred Hospital Brea during the filming of “Fight For Life,” a documentary about his 2022 battle with COVID-19.

A Patient Success Story from Kindred Hospital Brea

A documentary film about an actor and mixed martial artist who recovered from severe COVID-19 at Kindred Hospital Brea continues to receive accolades more than two years after it premiered.

Caregivers at Kindred Hospital Brea are featured prominently in the award-winning Fight For Life, in which Mariano “Big Dawg” Mendoza recounts his battle to survive during the pandemic and the months he spent at Kindred. Last month, Fight For Life and director Jeff Ezell were honored for Best Documentary and Best Director at FilmFest LA at LA Live. The documentary has now received awards at nearly 10 film festivals since 2023.

Throughout the 46-minute film, Mendoza praises caregivers at Kindred Hospital Brea who helped him overcome a series of medically complex conditions, including a collapsed lung, kidney failure, sepsis and multiple strokes, that he suffered in 2022 as a result of COVID.

“It was a miracle” to survive, says Mendoza, who has acted in dozens of TV shows and films. “… St. Jude (short-term acute care hospital) and Kindred saved my life.”

Multiple Kindred caregivers are interviewed in the film, explaining aspects of Mendoza’s treatment and rehabilitation therapy and the close relationship they built with Mendoza along the way. Mendoza also makes a visit to the hospital to reunite with the staff.  

“At first he was barely able to sit and hold his balance,” says Jaime Aguirre, a Physical Therapy Assistant at Kindred. “Slowly over time we were able to get him to stand, (take) steps and eventually (walk).”

In the film, Mendoza says that he contracted COVID-19 in late December 2021. He drove himself to a local hospital days later after having difficulty breathing. His condition worsened, and he was intubated on Jan. 18, 2022, with doctors giving him a 5 percent chance for survival.

But with the help of his caregivers, Mendoza beat the odds, spending a total of eight months at Kindred and other hospitals.

“The ICU nurses are something special,” Mendoza’s wife, Dawn, says. “All the nurses there, the staff, the physical therapists, the speech therapists, the respiratory therapists are amazing. … Once (Mariano) started coming to and they could see what a really unique person he is, they became our friends. … It’s really amazing how much they cared.”

Mendoza says the Kindred caregivers were inspirational for the patience and positivity they demonstrated while motivating him to keep going during his long, emotional recovery.

In one scene, during his visit back to Kindred, Mendoza and Kindred caregiver Jeffrey David laugh as David recalls how an agitated and not-lucid Mendoza had once kicked him in the side while the staff tried to work with him.

“I said, ‘Wow, you are definitely an MMA fighter for sure,’” David says before turning to Mendoza. “… But (now) he is doing great, and I love you, brother.” 

Fight For Life can be streamed for free on Tubi and for $1.99 on Vimeo. More information about the documentary is available on its Facebook page.

Photos are courtesy of Jeff Ezell and Mariano Mendoza.

Learn more about: Medically Complex Care