Boston Rob’s Daughter Hospitalized After Golf Course Plant Prick in Mexico
Time to cut the small talk: Boston Rob Mariano’s family getaway to Cabo San Lucas took a sudden detour when his 14-year-old daughter, Carina, suffered a “severe” reaction to a plant prick on a scenic golf course. The Survivor alum broke the news on June 16 via Instagram Stories, recounting how a seemingly innocuous encounter with a local desert shrub led to an overnight hospital stay.
The incident started when Carina brushed against a spiky specimen known locally as El Datilillo—or “The Spanish Dagger”—while hunting golf balls near the fairway. Within hours, her knee ballooned with fluid and she was in considerable pain. Rob described the scene: “She got poked by this plant yesterday on the golf course…long story short we ended up in the hospital last night.” Doctors ran an ultrasound to locate the plant’s spine but instead discovered fluid buildup around the puncture site. Their prescription? A regimen of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to tackle any lurking infection and calm the swelling.
By the next morning, Carina’s discomfort had eased and the swelling began to subside. Boston Rob—dad to Lucia, 15, Isabetta, 13, and Adelina, 10, with wife Amber—shared a close-up of the culprit on his Instagram, warning fellow travelers: beware the Spanish Dagger. Despite the scare, the Mariano clan’s spirits rebounded quickly, and Carina was soon back on her feet, ready to rejoin her sisters splashing in the pool and exploring the Baja coastline.
This sun-and-sand saga comes just weeks after Carina’s memorable middle-school graduation on May 21, when Rob confessed he “cried like a baby” as she accepted her school’s coveted Leadership Award. He showered her with pride, praising her kindness, intelligence and beauty, and inviting followers to celebrate their family bond. True to form, Rob marked Father’s Day in Cabo with rounds of golf and seaside relaxation, dubbing the trip “absolutely perfect” and posting snapshots of “#mygirls living their best lives.”
For Mariano—who’s also made headlines with appearances on The Traitors and podcasts like First Class Fatherhood—the family unit remains his north star. “We spend so much time together because we want to,” he told listeners, underscoring that fatherhood and quality time outrank any reality-show triumph.
And there you have it: a vacation you’d expect to be all margaritas and sunshine momentarily eclipsed by one sharp little spine. Keep your tan lotion handy, but maybe pack some tweezers next time—you never know when a Spanish Dagger might strike again.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News (EOnline.com), Mariano’s Instagram Stories, First Class Fatherhood Podcast
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
