Life, three words – Precious. Fickle. Priceless.
One moment you’re ambitiously navigating your way around tons of goals and leveling it up, scaling on adventures of a 100 dreams, the next, your whole life gets the graphic replay before the lights finally dim. A breath, not even the highest currency can buy. Tomorrow is never a guarantee.
Heroism, often associated with bravery, nobility, valor, etc. basically sums up the call to fulfill a higher purpose, higher than SELF. Heroism demands the ultimate sacrifice of putting others first even at your peril. A rare sight in the world we live in.
November 12, 2021, clocked in like every normal day, but it wasn’t, it would go down in the history books as one of the darkest days witnessing the gruesome death of Ali Abucar Ali, a 20-year-old British-Somalian who by instinct intervened, stepping in to defend a pensioner Betty Walsh, 82 was targeted and attacked outside a kebab shop, near her home, just after 8 pm in west London.
Ali, 20, an accounting student at Kingston University and a basketball coach at Chiswick Gators Basketball Club died of stab wounds at the scene in Albany Parade, Brentford. Just hours before, he had lived out his passion for coaching.
Norris Henry, 37, has been charged with the murder of Ali and the attempted murder of Ms. Walsh – both were stabbed in the incident. While both were found stabbed, Ali was pronounced dead at the scene, Walsh was taken to the hospital
A Glowing Legacy;
Although just age 20, most acquaintances had the most beautiful words to say about him;
Michael Kwentoh, 40, founder of the Gators Basketball Club, met Ali when he was 13.
“Ali was the most genuine, loyal, caring individual I’ve ever met in my life,” Kwentoh told Al Jazeera.
“He was an individual who cared more about helping others than anything.
“That is one of the things that I loved and respected so much about Ali.”
“He just didn’t deserve what happened to him. He was just so innocent, so pure,” said Kwentoh.
The boys Ali coached, aged between six and 10, Kwentoh added, will remember his kindness and the passion he instilled in them for the sport.
“He made them feel like they were stars,” he said. “He’d just make you believe in you more than you believe in yourself.”
Kwentoh also held a vigil in honor of Ali, in a park near the scene of the incident.
“I will do my utmost best to live [even] a little bit like how Ali did because even as a 40-year old man, I feel like he taught me a lot about kindness and patience,” said Kwentoh.
In honor of his memory, Kwentoh revealed he will be naming his basketball camp after the much-loved coach.
He said: “We plan to give out the Ali Abucar Ali Award, which will be given out at the end of every season at the club.
“At his former secondary school, Chiswick School, there will be a sports day award which will also be named after him.
“Every time we run a basketball camp, it will be renamed the coach Ali Basketball camp.”
“We are rebranding and renaming our basketball camp to ensure his legacy lives on within our club, the Chiswick School community and within the Brentford community,” he explained.
A GoFundMe page set up to make charitable donations in Ali’s honor surpassed 90,000 pounds ($120,000) in just two days.
The GoFundMe page created in his honor also pays tribute to Ali’s kindheartedness.
“We lost a dear brother, the most caring, humble, funniest young man,” it reads.
A plea hearing has for 21 February for Norris.
Rest on Champ!
