A BITTERSWEET WEEKEND
Mon, 16 Nov 2009
Las Vegas, NV – The euphoria and indescribable jubilation boxing fans worldwide and Filipinos of all walks of life in particular, over Manny Pacquaio’s utter annihilation of a resolute Miguel Cotto to grab an unprecedented seventh world title in seven weight classes, is just beginning.
There is no doubt that this generation of the Filipino people will forever be grateful to Manny Pacquaio for humbly giving honor and prestige to a struggling nation. Manny Pacquaio’s extraordinary achievements as one of the world’s all time boxing great will be told and retold to generations after generations to come.
The fortunate ones who have seen him fight would say; I was there when the great Manny Pacquaio won his battles with the elite boxers of his time. It is priceless.
However, as we all bask in the splendor of last night’s victory, there is a lonely intensive care unit room at the Las Vegas University Medical Center where Z “The Dream” Gorres is fighting for his life. A young family man with a great and promising boxing career lies alone in a quiet room devoid of the excitement and sounds of success except for constant blips and hum of life sustaining medical equipments.
Last Friday would have been a career changing win for Gorres but instead it became a life changing event.
After being declared the winner by a wide margin over Luis Melendez, Gorres collapsed and underwent an emergency craniotomy and decompressive craniectomy to remove a blood clot and relieve pressure from his brain.
Last Saturday afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit Gorres at his bedside and talked to one of the neurosurgeons. Although, he remains in a very serious condition and in a medically induced coma, he is stable and has positively responded to the surgery and the on-going rigorous treatment from his world class medical providers.
The next few days will be crucial. Together with the best possible medical care available for him, the power of prayers cannot be underestimated. He is young, healthy and in the best condition of his life. If there is anybody who can recover from this unfortunate predicament, it will be Z “The Dream” Gorres.
While we continue to celebrate an amazing weekend, a collective prayer for a speedy and complete recovery for Z “The Dream” Gorres from the almost 100 million strong Filipinos will go a long way.
