Six years ago, Clarke had the biggest frustration with his first love- lawn tennis.
How come?
He trained for SEA games, well, that was the goal so he had to win the area tournament.
Needless to say he was the school's tennis golden boy. He was a natural. All his life he was playing tennis because of his dad. His father was a tennis champ too in his university years but he had their family's company to run and being the eldest, his father had the biggest responsibility for it. Although his father was very busy with his business travels and business meetings, their tennis time as father-son bonding remained untouchable. It has had the regular session on every other weekend so Clarke has the time to train himself prior and his dad would check up on his achievement and development.
When he was younger, his dad would wake him up early for an early jog with him but things struggled to remain and yes, some things really change over time.
Now, this was how it all happened.
It was the area tournament and he was confident he would win and ace it. He'd love to make it to the SEA games so he really worked harder as it was his senior year. He saw how his opponents played because he always was the crossover for placement in the championships. He was sure he could straight win.
On the finals' fifth and final set, his opponent was close to score draw until it was a tie on scoring.. Because honestly, it's the final set and he didn't sweat it in the earlier sets so what can a draw harm?
And the another set was bound to happen.
Lately he was feeling onsets of headaches or migraines but he thought it was only fatigue and that he's trained harder recently.
But he blacked out on that starting set after that draw!
He saw a girl in a white cheerleader outfit although blurry just before he passed out on the the sides of his opponent's court.
And that's the final memory of his tennis career.
His family had not agreed on anymore tennis games after that black out and even his father, who had been so supportive when it comes to tennis would always give him a look of pity every time he tries to negotiate on playing again but resolved that that cannot happen again.
The doctor who had checked him up announced after a week of his blackout that Clarke was diagnosed with brain tumor. Although in early phase and with the right technology and mastery of the needed professionals in the field, it can be helped when operated. All he needed to do was make his body healthy and be of capacity to be performed with such a crucial brain tumor extraction and operation.
Shock was an understatement to Clarke.
All his life he was an athlete and healthy.
It was just recently that he felt unbecoming feelings of uneasiness or symptoms for him..
Like being dizzy, vision gets blurry or onsets of headaches and a sudden pang of pain in the head..
but those were just abrupt and eventually forgotten.
Who would have thought?
Until Clarke's dad broke out the news that it's their family's genetic disease.
All eldest in the family gets it and his father has it too!
Generation to generation, their family would have that case of illness!
Some died later and some died sooner.
If shock was an understatement about his brain tumor, the news brought about by his father was even more mind blowing!
When it all sank in, Clarke fell into a depression. Difficult thoughts ate him up.
But more on the sudden withdrawal from tennis was too much for him to take.
It was like another form of breathing for him.
And in a sudden, he could no longer play it.
Discussed by the family, Clarke and his family migrated to the US, took a leap of faith and had his tumor operated. He stopped school for a year to prepare his body and mind for the operation. Thankfully, he made it and so Clarke continued his medicine in there.
Apparently, his family is into the medical field too.
His aunts and uncles are doctors and it's only his father who isn't because of the family business he had to take over.
Two years in the US and he was done with his course and his residency.
The next year, he became a surgeon and stayed a year more for practice until, another shocking news after three years the family has received unexpectedly and changed everything he planned on ahead.
This was what brought Clarke back to his old hometown.
Life would've been easier if all the things we love come easy.
But everything has a prize.
A tooth for a tooth.
A life for a life.