recalling last year

July 14, 2008.

It’s already a year ago when I experienced one of the lowest points of my life – when my mother got sick with nowhere to run but only my sisters. The other one even added problems instead of helping. This day of last year around 10 am my mother had a stroke. Her first stroke. According to out helper who was with her, she did not notice the actual stroke attack. The only witness was my 4-year old nephew who said that Nanay fell to the ground near the cage of our dog. Without a sound she allegedly tried crawling towards the house, about 10 meters away. Our helper found her lying at the floor of our sala, wondering why she lied on the floor, helped her sit on the couch. But when she asked something, she seemingly just smiled and did not say any word. Thinking that there was something wrong, she ran to our aunt’s house, 500 m away, to ask for help.

I was at the office when I received a call, around 11 am from my cousin telling me that they have brought my mother t to the provincial hospital because she couldn’t talk and her mouth was a bit twisted – suspected she had a stroke. I immediately left the office, caught up a bus going back home. I didn’t have extra cash money at that time, so I ask my friend to lend me P5000 for some expenses we might incurred while we stayed at the hospital. Maybe tomorrow I could look for money for other expenses.

I reached the hospital past one o’clock. I found out that my mother did not have yet a dextrose because my cousin and my relatives who were there did not have cash at that time. I was so thankful to them for the effort of bringing my mother to the hospital and demanding the attendants to bring my mother to the ward room despite she did not have a dextrose yet. Apparently no one of them could buy a dextrose. I bought a dextrose and IV set and gave to the nurse station so it could be administer to my mother.

After which, she was sent to the ICU, after I left to have lunch and got some things from our house. My older sister was already there.

Around 3 pm, the doctor told me to transfer my mother to a bigger hospital because they cold not handle such case with the facilities available t the provincial hospital. I was alarmed at that time thinking was it really my mother’s condition was critical that should be attended by some more equipped hospital. But I did not show any fear and apprehension to the condition that might come out from this unstable condition mother.

I called my younger sister who is at Davao City whether we would bring our mother to Butuan City or Davao City. We decided that it would be best if she would be in Davao. Again with no money, my Land Bank account was also drained at that time, I again lent money from my friend who gave me ten thousand. I spent 4000 plus for the ambulance from the provincial hospital going to Davao City. We left for Davao around 8:00 pm.

An the back, I could see that nanay was not feeling at ease lying on her back while traveling, so she sat up most of the time after one hour of departure.

I was not losing hope that time, only a small tinge of despair and frantic emotion over her condition but I believed that she could easily get through it.