Huskers executive gets special Father’s Day gift

Quezon Huskers team manager Donn Kapunan had only one thing in mind the moment his helicopter crashed from 2,000 feet past the Pililia Wind Farm in Rizal.

“All I was thinking of were my children — Deanna, Cheska and Vito,” Kapunan said in a telephone interview with DAILY TRIBUNE a day before the nation celebrates Father’s Day.

“Then, I was praying to God. I said ‘Lord, help me live through this.’ That was my prayer.”

Now, three months after that tragic incident that claimed the lives of his fellow passengers, including 35-year-old Malaysian Jacob Mathan, a director of Farm Fresh Berhad, Kapunan is now in the final stage of his recovery. Soon, he will be back on the Huskers bench as they shoot for their third straight trip in the finals of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

He said the crash made him realize how vulnerable life is, especially to a single father like him who lost his wife, Anna, to breast cancer seven years ago.

But God has a plan.

“Fortunately, I was able to regain my bodily functions, although not yet fully. But I’m getting there, I’m getting there,” said Kapunan, a first cousin of Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas 3x3 program director Ryan Gregori.

“So fortunate. So thankful for all the blessings.”

Kapunan said he approaches his rehabilitation the same way he once approached building a winning basketball program — with discipline, consistency, and relentless determination. And with her daughter serving as her physical therapist, his road to recovery had been very smooth.

“I do rehab almost every day. I never let a day pass without doing exercises on my own,” Kapunan said.

“I’m also fortunate because my eldest daughter is a physical therapist. She helps me with my rehab program and exercises.”

Even the Huskers, who had become like sons to him, are drawing inspiration from seeing their his survival from an accident that had claimed a lot of lives. They are dedicating their season for Kapunan, who turned the team into a legitimate MPBL contender.

“I appreciate that almost all of my former and current players reached out. In fact, my team went to my house. They showed their support, prayed over me, and we shared a lot,” Kapunan said.

“They expressed their gratitude and said they were inspired because they also have their own problems. But when they saw me, they felt their problems were not as difficult as what I was going through.”

Kapunan said he wants nothing more than to see his children succeed in their respective fields.

“Everything that I’ve prayed for since I was a kid, God gave to me. My prayer is for our country and for my children — for them to reach their dreams and withstand any storm that may come their way,” Kapunan added.

“I don’t have anything else to wish for my children. My prayer is for them to achieve their dreams, just as I achieved the things I prayed for and received.”

Kapunan said it’s going to be a very special Father’s Day for them. And the fact that he is still with his children to celebrate this very special day is the best gift he has ever received.