SAN ANTONIO – A Northeast Side restaurant employee is recovering from serious injuries after he was stabbed while waiting for a ride home after work earlier this month. Now, as medical bills continue to pile up, his family is asking the community for financial help.
Jorge Cadena, who works at Dee Willie’s, described the harrowing incident that occurred on the evening of October 3. After completing his shift, he stopped at a nearby convenience store and was attacked shortly after, while making his way back to the parking lot. “An unknown man jumped out from behind a wall and attacked me around 8 p.m.,” Cadena recounted.
The sudden nature of the assault left Cadena in shock. “I felt it, and then I seen the knife, and that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, he stabbed me in the chest,’” he said. Earlier that day, he had noticed a suspicious individual lingering near the restaurant but had not engaged in any confrontational behavior.
In the moments following the stabbing, fear set in as he pondered his fate. “That was one of the first things that crossed my mind, like, am I dying tonight?” Cadena said. Despite the panic, he managed to return to Dee Willie’s to alert his boss, who quickly called for emergency assistance.
Employees at the restaurant sprang into action, applying a tourniquet to his arm and applying pressure to his chest to stem the bleeding. Cadena suffered a punctured lung, a fractured rib, and significant damage to the tendons in his arm due to a severe laceration.
In the wake of such a traumatic experience, Cadena expressed a surprising sentiment. “My mom’s mentioned, ‘Why aren’t you more angry?’ But I’m alive. What am I going to be angry about?” His focus remains on recovery rather than harboring resentment towards his attacker.
However, the road to recovery has not been without its challenges. Cadena is currently unable to return to work, and as medical bills continue to accumulate, the financial burden weighs heavily on him and his family, who are seeking assistance from the community. Additionally, he is a father of four, further complicating his situation.
The San Antonio Police Department is actively investigating the incident, but as of now, no suspects have been apprehended. Community members are encouraged to contribute to Cadena’s recovery efforts as he navigates this difficult chapter in his life.
