Jerry Codiñera’s long road back

"We were on a train going to Rome, about thirty minutes away. Then I started bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding. I went to the train’s restroom twice. I was almost unconscious from all the blood I had lost. They took me straight to the clinic."

This was the sudden, shocking start to Jerry Codiñera’s Christmas horror story, which threatened to end one of the most constant careers in PBA history. It happened on the last leg of a European tour with Jean, his wife of seven years.

"At that time, I felt strong, I was in great shape," the center christened "The Defense Minister" recalls. "I didn’t feel any pain or anything. I just had a severe headache in Germany. But I didn’t pay attention to it; I thought I was just coming down with a cold."

The headache wasn’t brought on by the extremely low temperature of that European winter, but by a rupture in his digestive tract. When Codiñera collapsed on the commuter train, he was rushed to the Umberto Primo Polyclinico in Rome, where he would end up staying for an unforeseen length of time. For four days, Jerry was being battered by tests, all proving negative. Then, right before his colonoscopy, he started bleeding again. Immediate surgery was warranted.

"It was so hard," the PBA’s first ever Best Player of the Conference (1994) remembers. "We were on a tour; we were so happy. And we were headed for Paris, our last stop. I felt so bad. But I had to take care of myself first."

The operation required 35 stitches. Aggravating the situation was the isolation, the bite of the winter chill, and the language barrier, among others.

"They only gave me pain killers for two days, because they wanted it to heal naturally. I couldn’t stand the pain. And the doctors and I couldn’t understand each other."

Jerry was finally discharged on New Year’s Eve, after having lost 33 pounds. The doctors warned him to take it slowly, exercise moderately only after a month. In two months, he had another colonoscopy that said he was well.

Now, Jerry Codiñera is back to his playing weight of 240 pounds, and is eager to get back into action. It would have been difficult to imagine a PBA without him, since it seems he’s always been around.

Codiñera was the youngest member of the Philippine team of the mid-1980’s, where he was molded by Ron Jacobs to play defense and rebound. He was part of the four-man concession given to Purefoods when they entered the PBA in 1988, along with buddy Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Glen Capacio. And defense became his signature. Codiñera was named to the All-Defensive team a record nine times, including eight straight from 1991 to 1998, and once had 11 blocks in a single game. He has been on the Mythical First or Second Team in eight times, the most for any player who has not been named MVP. Until he was traded to Mobiline in 1999, he averaged in double figures for Purefoods, with a high of almost 17 per game in 1993. He and Patrimonio are the only surviving members of their batch, as constant as the march of time. And he wants more.

"I was glad that FedEx management told me to take care of myself first. I passed all my tests. I’d like to thank all the people who prayed for me. Hopefully soon, I’ll get to play again. I got stopped for a while, but now, I’m back."

Time marches on, and Jerry Codiñera right alongside it.