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When the official game schedules were over at past 9 p.m., and while he was practicing how to make a dunk shot at a shorter basketball ring, which is intended for the use of women and children, his left thumb got tangled up with the ring’s net. Then, as his full weight was going down after the jump, the tangled part of the said finger did not hold. The net severed his thumb just right below the spot where the nail starts to grow. He landed flat on the wooden floor with a bleeding thumb. We searched the floor for the splintered portion of the finger. It happened so suddenly, that it somehow stunned everyone who was there.

We, immediately, rushed him to St. Paul Hospital. The doctors performed a surgery on him at 11 p.m. They tried to put back the detached part of the thumb for four hours. Then, they gave it three days of observation to determine whether it can be revived. After the said observation period, his doctor declared that the thumb has a fair chance of recovery. He was out of the hospital on September 6 (Saturday).   

Bros. Freddie and Moises took turns in watching over him. The Filipinos also came to visit and cheer him up. Fr. Cedric said that he now understands how the Filipinos feel when they meet accidents at the factory.

Fr. Cedric has great passion for sports, especially basketball. He uses his fondness of sports in his mission as chaplain of the Filipinos. He, enthusiastically, organizes bowling tournament in his community, and inter-community basketball friendship games to provide a venue for positive diversion and interaction among the Filipinos and also to bring them closer to the Church.  

Fr. Cedric is grateful to all who showed concern through their prayers and visits at the hospital.  He is also very grateful to Fr. John Ho of the Guri Catholic Migrant Center for the untiring support and assistance.

We pray for his quick recovery and that the incident may not deter him from pursuing what he started, but instead, like a wounded soldier, it should make him more passionate and compassionate in his ministry.

(by Fr. Alvin, MSP)