Unpinned: Broken, Not Defeated Paperback – February 8, 2026

This book tells the real, unfiltered story of a life shaped by pain, struggle, and incredible strength. The author opens up about his past with total honesty about growing up in an environment full of hurt, surviving physical and sexual abuse as a child, and falling into addiction at a young age. The loss of three important family members within a short time left him heartbroken and lost for years.Drug addiction took him to one of the darkest places no one can imagine. But that was only the turning point of the story. In the middle of chaos, he found something that gave him purpose again: Olympic wrestling. With unstoppable determination and discipline, he turned his pain into power and rose to become one of Puerto Rico’s most respected athlete.He became the most decorated combat sports athlete in the international event’s history, representing Puerto Rico in several Central American, Pan American Games and other International Championships. Even after surviving two surgeries that left him with a heart condition, he came back stronger and fought his way back to the mat, becoming a multi medalist.But his biggest victories happened outside the arena. He rebuilt his life, stayed clean for more than thirty years, and went on to earn undergraduate, master, and doctoral degrees. As a professor and researcher, he presented at world congresses and helped write books about the history and culture of sports in Puerto Rico.Unpinned: Broken, Not defeated, isn’t just a book about an athlete, it's the story of a person who refused to let pain define him. It’s about fighting battles you can’t always see, about finding light in the darkest moments, and proving that even when you thought everything is lost, you can still rise. Read more