this is my belated new year post.
i didn't realize it has been days since 2008 arrived. my mom suffered a mild stroke and we rushed her to the heart center on new year's day itself. she's been staying there since then and i've been by her side every step of the way.
i was supposed to leave for los angeles on that evening but then this happened. at first they thought she had high blood right before they had media noche (i had to go to makati to fix all the stuff i was supposed to bring) so she took her meds. the following day, she felt weaker and her speech slurred a bit. that's when we realized that something was wrong.
except when she gave birth to us, my mom has never spent a day in the hospital. this is why she feels so helpless the past few days because she's just lying on her bed as we wait for her bp to stabilize. thank god, it did, eventually.
she's still in the hospital but today, she will start her therapy. the stroke rendered parts of her left arm and legs weak. hopefully, she'll be able to regain her strength soon. she's a strong woman, i know she will.
thank you to all my friends who prayed for my mom's speedy recovery. special thanks to friends who went out of their way to visit us at the heart center. you guys don't know how much that meant to us. salamat!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
new year
Sunday, August 26, 2007
survivor
to all those who prayed for the speedy recovery of my niece jianne, who was hospitalized for stage 2 dengue last month when i was in manila, thanks a lot. your prayers helped. here she is, some pounds lighter, and a couple of weeks after she was discharged.
Type rest of the post here
Monday, July 16, 2007
friends, roman...friends
i slipped quietly in town (yes, manila) a few days ago. what? no announcements? no fuss?
well, my friends in manila seem to be not that excited anymore everytime i announce (this year, thrice already) that i'll be in town. so i decided to just be hush hush about it.
anyhow, it's been kind of a mixed-emotions type of feeling these days. it's good to be home again and i am happy but i couldn't be as happy as i would have wanted because my youngest niece is in the hospital. :(
i've been in and out of the hospital in the past 3 days visiting her and showing my support. i really, really pray for her to get well soon. it's devastating to hear her cry in pain as doctors and nurses take her blood every six hours and shift her IV from the left to the right every single day. the times i was in her hospital room, i wished that if i hasd the power, i'd rather that she doesn't go through this pain, that if i need to take all those pain for her, i would, no question.
she's 5 years old, in the first grade and a stage 2 dengue patient. she probably got that pesky mosquito bite from her school, or from the playground. definitely not from their home because my brother and his wife are very particular about mosquitoes. but at this point, it doesn't really matter as to where she was when bitten by the freaking mosquito.
for now, i can curse all the mosquitoes i want but it won't undo what has happened. at this point, all i can really do is pray.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Of Spoiled Surprises, an Over-Eager Cousin and a Solicitous Aunt
In a nutshell, the surprise birthday party that my brother and I (with the help of a lot of accomplices) planned so meticulously went well, except for some kinks. An over-eager cousin being one of them.
I arrived a day before my mom’s birthday so I had to stay somewhere and make my homecoming on the actual day. My brother picked me up. We were 15 minutes away from our home when my brother’s cell phone beeped. Then he cracked. He said that the surprise has been ruined. I was beginning to get pissed.
His phone rang, He responded it. After a few sentences were exchanged, he began to laugh. I didn’t find it amusing. It turns out that my cousin from California called up to greet my mom, and asked if I had already arrived. Ugh.
So, my arrival in front of our driveway was not as dramatic as I had envisioned. The entire plan was preempted. My arrival was, pure and simple, anti-climactic.
My mom cried when I got off the car. I greeted her a Happy Birthday and hugged her real hard. The other car arrived, and out came the balloons (my niece was mocking her father, my brother, asking if we were having a children’s party), the lechon and some other pre-ordered food. My mom couldn’t believe her eyes. She thought I was the only surprise. She didn’t know that a grand party was about to unfold.
One by one, the visitors started arriving. My mom’s only living sibling, her elder sister, arrived from Tarlac in a van filled with all but 3 of her grand-children. It was my first time meeting some of them.
My mom’s cousins and her friends also arrived as well. Quoted from mi madre: “This is the happiest birthday ever!” I’m happy.
And oh yeah, the aunt. One of my aunts cornered and asked me, no, make that ordered me to get married soon. “Hijo, you’re not getting any younger. You should get married soon. Soon!” she commanded. I looked at her and couldn’t help but manage a very dry smile. Like, what-do-you-care smile. Or a what-are-you-on smile.
