Ali Peek's miraculous return

Talk n Text center Ali Peek is a walking miracle. Regardless of the outcome of the current Philippine Cup Finals which opened in Digos, Davao del Norte last night, Peek has become an inspiration to millions. Ironically, in the middle of last year’s run at a Grand Slam, Peek, the PBA’s third overall draft pick in 1998, had told this writer that he was retiring. Fortunately for the Tropang Texters, he changed his mind, joking that the PBA would not be the same without him.

Shockingly, his career and his life almost ended by someone else’s hand just over two months ago.

Peek had just fi nished his workout at the RFM gym when the infamous shooting incident took place. He talks about the experience with careful thought, recalling moments of the ordeal with vivid clarity.

“What went through my mind at fi rst was, what happened?” Peek told The STAR in a telephone conversation from Digos yesterday.

“It was a holiday. So I thought some kid threw a fi recracker at me. That was the weird thing about it, I didn’t feel any pain. I felt a lot of pressure in my neck.

“I turned around and looked up. Did the guy hit me or did he miss me? Then I looked at my hands and saw the blood. My trainer saw the bullet hole. He drove me to Medical City. I

plugged the bullet hole with my fi nger. The fi rst person I called was my coach (Chot Reyes), then my family,” the man-mountain from St. Mary’s College of California continued.

“When we got to the hospital, I actually walked to the ER and asked where I was supposed to go. At that point, I still wasn’t sure whether the guy grazed me or what.”

What doctors discovered was astonishing, akin to the “magic bullet” theory used to substantiate the outlandish proposition that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in the Kennedy assassination. But this was real, and there was no scientifi c explanation for it.

The bullet had entered the back of Ali’s neck and traveled in a curve, completely missing his carotid artery, the second-largest blood vessel in the human body. Had it struck the artery, he could have bled out in a matter of minutes.

“It didn’t really become real for me until I saw the X-ray. Even at that point, I didn’t know if I was out of the woods or not,” Peek remembers. “The bullet landed in an area where nothing vital was touched. They said I was very lucky. What they actually said was they didn’t understand what happened. Doctors always try to explain it, to understand it. There was no explanation for it.”

Fortunately for Peek, scar tissue will now develop around the bullet, cocooning it and keeping it from moving too much. His immediate concern was his family, especially his mother, who has been through many diffi culties through her life. Through it all, Ali’s dominant thought was this would not be fair to her.

Then came an outpouring of prayers, support and protection from his Tropang Texters family, relatives, friends and fans. The softspoken Peek, the last remaining active player from the defunct RFM franchise, was one of the most-liked players in the league, and it showed.

For Ali though, he thought his basketball career was done. He fl ew to the US to take a short break, but all the while was working out to get back into game shape. The speed of his recovery was also impressive, to say the least.

“I’ve had my rough spots on and off the court,” Peek admits. “But things have just fallen into place. When I needed to get clearance from the doctors, I got it. When I needed things medically, I got them. And basketball-wise, I got back. I’m actually grateful for that.”

Peek continued to amaze, jumping back into action in the Philippine Cup semifi nals. He had actually been working out on the mornings of games to make up for the lost activity. He admits that it was tough for a while, especially the fi rst two games of the compelling rivalry withPetron Blaze.

“My body was in shock. My legs were burning, my lungs were burning,” he chuckles.

“If I were doing this 10 years ago, it would be easier. But now, I feel fi ne, really. In Games 6 and 7, I was starting to feel like myself again.”

Peek was actually preparing for a life beyond basketball for over a year, even doing simulations for ABS-CBN’s NCAA broadcast panel, and starting a car maintenance business.

But now, with his miraculous return to peak health, he’s stepping back before charting the next part of his career. This chapter isn’t over yet. “I was saying a lot of things. I think the truth is, I don’t want to make hasty decisions anymore,” Peek admits.” I want to wait things out. Family members and friends have been telling me, give yourself some time and see how you feel. So I think I’m going to take that advice.”

The message seems to be clear: there are even greater things in store.

* * * *

One last sidelight. Upon Ali’s return to Manila, he actually set off a metal detector at the airport, having totally forgotten about his own condition. Airport personnel who were basketball fans aware of his situation, just waved him through. He didn’t bother to ask what had set the machine off.