After a busy NCAA Season 99 campaign that saw Arellano University barge into the Final Four, one of its top spikers in AC Guinto had to step back and take a pause.
On December 6 last year, the do-it-all outside spiker suddenly could not feel the right part of his face just after the Chiefs wrapped up their training.
As it turned out, the 5-foot-9 hitter had Bell's Palsy.
According to John Hopkins Medicine's website, Bell's Palsy condition "results from damage to the facial nerve (the 7th cranial nerve). Pain and discomfort usually occur on one side of the face or head."
As part of his recovery, Guinto was advised by his doctors to take a break from training, which would last for nearly two months before he slowly returned to training in January as part of his preparations for NCAA beach volleyball.
"After ng training, bigla ko na lang hindi na-feel sa right side ng mukha ko. December 6 po nag-start ng gabi tapos after no’n nag-rest muna ako, hindi muna ako nag-training. Bumalik lang ako sa training nitong January lang para sa beach volleyball," Guinto told GMA News Online on Saturday.
"After ng training, nagpa-consult ako and Bell's Palsy daw. Dahil daw sa stress, pagod, at puyat."
Guinto, though, never once lost faith that his volleyball career is not yet over.
After all, he emerged as the Chiefs' second best scorer last season with 116 total points and was one of the league's best receivers and servers, grabbing 134 excellent receptions and averaging 0.14 aces by set in Season 99.
"Nakakalungkot at nakaka-stress din po na nawala ako kasi nami-miss ko na humawak ng bola at maglaro kasama 'yung mga teammates ko," the 21-year-old Guinto added.
"Hindi naman po ako nawalan ng pag-asa kasi alam ko naman na gagaling siya."
In the ongoing Season 100 indoor volleyball action, Guinto also had to watch his minutes and was coming off the bench for the early part of their campaign. The high-leaping spiker, however, continues to prove his worth as he steadily regains his form.
With Guinto, as well as Carl Bedal, Adi Villados, Jiwen Sinuto, and Anfernee Curamen, Arellano currently features a 2-3 card, which included a five-set upset win against defending champion Perpetual.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
