“My life will never be the same again”

Oct 08, 2008 Sports

– says mother of dead basketball playerBy Edison Jefford
Martin Carter’s immortal line, “Death will not find us thinking that we die” in the poem ‘Death of a Comrade’, should offer hope in seasons of bereavement but not for Rhonda Johnson, who lost her only son on Sunday.
Johnson told Kaieteur Sport at a vigil for the late Kevin Worrel that her life will forever be altered owing to the mysterious death of the Courts Pacesetters Basketball player, who collapsed on Burnham court.

“My life will never be the same again. I cant express what this means; it is the worst blow of my life; I never thought that this would happen to me,” a teary eyed Johnson lamented Monday night when this newspaper visited the vigil.

Worrel was participating in the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association’s (GABA) ‘Retreat’ at the outdoor venue on Sunday when he collapsed and subsequently died on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

His father, Colin Worrel, had told Kaieteur Sport at the hospital that he was not aware of any medical complications. “I spoke to him not too long ago. I never knew he had a medical problem,” the paternal parent had said.

Johnson endorsed the belief that the avid sportsman and Customs Broker at the Laparkan Group never showed any signs of illness. She said he was very “strong” and recalled him making huge mugs of milk shakes for breakfast.

The mother of two remembered her son as a respectable young man: “He don’t smoke, he don’t drink. He was very respectful and would always try to help people. It is my only son and nobody could replace him,” she cried.

Johnson also thought about the last time she saw Worrel alive: “I went out and when I came back, he said he had a match to play. I went to sleep and he woke me up and told me that he was going, only to get a call that he collapsed.”

The Republic Bank employee said that she hopes that the right systems are put in place to prevent a recurrence. “Maybe if a professional was there this would not have happened. It [the medical professional] is the right thing,” she argued.

Johnson expressed gratitude for the support of both Courts and the basketball fraternity. She said that it has been “heartening”. Apart from the nightly vigil, Courts have agreed to facilitate part of the expenses of the funeral.

Worrel’s postmortem is scheduled for 7 am today. Apart from his mother, he leaves to mourn his younger sister, Shanice.

The time and date of the funeral service for the late Kevin Worrel will be announced today.

Kevin Worrel’s mother, Rhonda Johnson (second row, right) is consoled by friends and family members at a vigil on Burnham Basketball Court Monday night.