THE Philippine Sports Commission heard the appeal of Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Christiana Means.
Chairman Patrick Gregorio says the government sports agency will come to the aid of the Fil-Am skateboarder, who needs an outright operation for her ACL injury.
Gregorio said he personally knows Means as he once served as secretary general of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
READ: SEA Games gold medalist appeals for help for knee surgery
“PSC will help Christiana. We met during the SEA Games,” said the PSC chief in a text message to SPIN.ph from Chengdu, China where he attended the opener of the 2025 World Games.
“We will not hesitate to help. It is our duty to help,” Gregorio stressed. “They served our country. They made us happy. They never asked anything in return.”
Means won a gold in the 30th edition of the SEA Games which the country hosted in 2019 by topping the women’s park event in at the Tagaytay Skate Complex.
She also bagged a pair of silver in game of SKATE and street event which were both ruled by Olympian Margielyn Didal.
But obviously, the wear and tear of practicing and competing took its toll on her knee that she tore her meniscus and sprained her MCL nine months ago.
The injury eventually led to a torn ACL which she said now needed to be operated.
“It’s no longer optional, it’s now critical,” Means said in her Facebook post where she appeals for help to fund her operation.
The 27-year-old Means added she funded her own therapy, training, and managing pain during the time she was recovering and rehabilitating, major expenses that later drained her financially.
“I’ve tried to handle it privately and independently for as long as I could, but I’ve hit the wall financially and emotionally,” she said.
Means thought she was on the road to recovery.
“Not realizing I had an undiagnosed ACL problem after my fall,” she added.
“It turns out my previous ACL graft wasn’t stable anymore. It never allowed my knee to fully heal – and it slowly gave out, like a bag of chips tearing from the side.”
Means set up her GoFundMe page for those who are interested to help her plight.
And the PSC assured her it will be by her side.
“When their knees fail, when they begin to suffer - we should not hesitate to help them. Never on bended knees,” said Gregorio. “Mahal ng PSC ang atletang Pilipino.”
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