FOR Elias Adili, the silence after losing his son Divine has been unbearable.
A father thousands of miles away from home, mourning the loss of a child he described as his source of courage, admitted that he and his wife are still struggling that he and his wife are still struggling to accept the reality they never imagined
“I wasn’t myself. My wife and I were crying all day,” Elias told in an interview from Kapuso mo Jessica Soho.
“None of the family members are with us, so we are in a very bad situation. A very bad situation.”
But even in the middle of his grief, Elias chose to look beyond the pain.
ONE BIG HEART
Instead of asking Ateneo to stop, he asked the Blue Eagles to continue and keep the fight.
“My message to Ateneo, they should not relent in what they intend to do," he said. “And to the teammates, they should continue to play.”
For the Nigerian father, the reason is simple. He saw how much Ateneo became part of Divine’s life.
The elder Adili said he became a fan of the Blue Eagles because of his son, watching from afar from being one of the teams that welcomed Divine when he came to the Philippines chasing his basketball dream.
READ: Francis Nnoruka still can't process 'brother' Divine Adili's loss
“I am a fan of Ateneo Blue Eagles. I am a fan because of Divine.”
“I have the opportunity of seeing their members, their team. They play with one spirit.”
That bond is what Elias hopes will continue even after the heartbreaking loss of one of their own.
“I am encouraging the teammates not to relent in their struggle. And I will be happy if they do.”
DIVINE’S INTERCESSION
Behind the blue-and-white jersey was a son Elias said carried a different kind of strength.
“Divine is a promising child and very promising," he said.
“He has expressed for us the courage to go through difficult things in our lives. And really brave, really brave.”
For his father, Divine was not only remembered for what he could become on the basketball court, but for the person he was away from the game.
“What I miss about him is I like that he’s wise. He’s friendly. He’s religious. He’s honest.”
“He makes me understand his feelings. He makes me understand his way of life. He makes me understand everything about him.”
Those small conversations, those moments of knowing his son deeper, are what Elias now holds on to.
“So I really miss him a lot," he said.
“I miss seeing him. I miss him a lot in my life.”
As of writing time, Divine is finally set to return home.
But before that final journey, Elias leaves behind a message that reflects the kind of son he raised - one who faced challenges with courage, built relationships far from home, and left a mark on everyone who knew him.
Even in loss, Divine’s father continues to carry the strength his son gave him.
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