Killion: 49ers draft pick gives mom the best gift of all
By Ann Killion
Mercury News S****ts Columnist
Article Launched: 05/11/2008 01:37:35 AM PDT
Click photo to enlarge
Chilo Rachal with his mother, Veronica Rachal. (Courtesy Rachal family
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Ever since he entered the world at a whopping 12 pounds, 14 ounces,
Chilo Rachal has been his mother's darling. They are, Veronica Pickett
says, "closer than peanut butter and jelly."
To make sure he was safe, she would drive behind the school bus to
school to make sure he got off, unharmed. Though money was tight, if
Chilo wanted a Nintendo, Veronica and her husband would find a way to
get it: better to have their son indoors playing video games than
roaming the rough, often fatal streets of Compton.
For 22 years, Veronica Pickett watched over her son. "She did a real
good job of keeping me safe," Rachal, who's now a whopping 319 pounds,
said at the 49ers' recent mini-camp.
It's time for her son to return the favor.
What to get Mom for Mother's Day? A book? Flowers? Jewelry? What about
the gift of health and peace of mind? Difficult to gift-wrap, but
that's what Rachal is giving his mother this year.
Rachal went into last month's NFL draft not dreaming of a flashy car
or his name in lights. His dreams were more basic, the kind that these
days keep so many Americans up at night. He dreamed of being in a
position to provide health care for his sick mother. When the 49ers
selected him in the second round, those dreams came true.
"He's my champion," Pickett, 48, said.
When Pickett started to feel sick last fall, she didn't want her son
to know. Rachal was a junior at USC and a starting guard on the
offensive line. Pickett went to a medical clinic, where ultrasound
tests revealed that she suffered from large fibroid tumors.
She was in a difficult situation. Though the condition is not
considered life-threatening, it probably requires surgery or else the
symptoms could get worse. Pickett had no medical insurance to cover
treatment. Her husband, Charles Rachal, 62, worked in waterproofing on
construction projects, but he had been slowed by hernia operations.
Though he was a member of the union, he says the cost of insurance was
prohibitive. Pickett worked for herself, as an aide caring for the
elderly. Her Medi-Cal benefits had expired once Chilo became an adult.
"It's been a hard time," her husband said. "But we've had a lot of
hard times."
Pickett didn't want to burden her son and waited until after the
regular season to tell him. "I left the decision up to him," she said.
"I didn't want it to be about me."
Rachal, who red****rted during his first year at USC, had just one more
semester of school remaining. He wanted to graduate. He wanted to
become an All-American. He wanted to play in another national
champion****p game. But he put aside his personal goals and opted to
enter the draft.
"I'll do whatever it takes for my mother's health," he said. "I'll
bust my butt."
When he told his mother, she wept.
"I was overwhelmed," Veronica said.
But his parents weren't surprised at the decision. They describe a
focused and directed young man, motivated to succeed. When he entered
high school, Chilo asked his father for an alarm clock to keep him on
schedule; he soon returned it, having internalized his routine. He
became a standout in football and basketball and earned multiple
awards.
"If you told him he couldn't make it, you were doing him a favor,"
Charles Rachal said. "He would prove you wrong."
Chilo was also motivated by the memory of two late family members. His
half-brother Lamont was gunned down at age 16, on March 15, 1985.
Exactly one year later, Chilo was born - a coincidence his father took
as a sign that Chilo would be safe. In 1999, when Chilo was in junior
high, another of Charles' older sons was killed in a drive-by while
out Christmas shopping.
"It made me more aware of what I have," Chilo said. "Don't waste it."
The family lived for a time in Whittier, where Pickett was pleased
with the quality of the schools. But when their rent was raised, they
moved to Compton.
"I was scared for him," Pickett recalled. "I had him at the YMCA,
going to movies, anything except hanging around."
When Chilo was in high school, Compton became known as the murder
capital of the United States, with a rate eight times higher than the
national average. Many of the victims were young men. Rachal said five
of his friends were killed on the streets. "You're not supposed to get
out of Compton past age 18," he said.
But Rachal is out now and in a 49ers uniform. His mother is filling
out paperwork and trying to explore her options for surgery. She hopes
to recover in time to see her son's first game as a 49er.
"It was a mature decision," Chilo's father said, "a life-changing
decision."
The day the family's life changed was cause for celebration on 136th
Street. "You would have thought it was New Year's Eve in Times
Square," Chilo said. Friends and family crammed into the house. When
the phone rang, with the 49ers on the other end, everyone whooped with
joy. Charles set off fireworks in the back yard. Chilo was overwhelmed
with phone calls.
And his mother? She wept. Tears of pride and gratitude.
http://www.mercurynews.com/49ersheadlines/ci_9224078
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