Child Rearing

 Spare the rod and spoil the child!”

“It takes the whole village to raise a child”

A wise man was once approached by a pregnant woman. She asked the wise man, “How old should my child be to start teaching him to be disciplined?” The wise man asked her, “How many months have you been pregnant?” The woman said, “three months along the way.” The wise man said, “Oh no, you are three months late!”

These are some of the anecdotes and sayings about child rearing I have come across and obviously my favorites. Actually, there is no fool-proof way to raise a child. This is because as the child grows, a lot of factors kick in like the environment, the media and peer pressure to name a few. Some of these are beyond a parent’s control. Just the same, it would be wise to study some useful nuggets of wisdom here and there and feel what one thinks is most apt given a situation.

Now that we have raised four children, my wife and I are down to enjoying four grandchildren. Sometimes, we are at odds ends deciding our actual roles in their development. Are we not obligated to raise them properly? Is raising them the sole responsibility of the parents? Should we not be in complete control ourselves? Are all we shall be good for is to enjoy, pamper and spoil the children? My best guess is no, and I am betting my bottom dollar (kasama na pamato) that we are just as responsible. In the villages of Africa, probably having observed how lions behaved where the lionesses take turns in caring and rearing for the young. These lionesses are the hunters of the pride and yet, during a hunt for food, one or two adult females are left behind to tend for the young.This is extended to breast feeding. A lioness who has just given birth will feed on another mother's offspring. The male, supposedly the king of the jungle, waits for the kill and yet, will have the privilege to eat first. Well, his responsibility is to secure the safety of the territory and the whole pride, a not so simple task considering that his stay with the pride lasts for two years the longest and another takes over. This probably is the source of the saying, “It takes a whole community to raise a child.” I believe the wisdom it partakes. Consistency is one of the key elements for a child to distinguish and remember what is good and what is right. If one of the caretakers do not re enforce a lesson, the child is most likely not to learn it.

Will it be wise to give in to a child’s wishes especially when our patience is being challenged and in all desperateness, just because we have a lot of things to do,i.e. surrender our cellphones so that they will be off our backs? It does not take a rocket scientist to know that that is not what one should do. If we give in to their wishes, we are letting them discipline us and not the other way around.

“Spare the rod and spoil the child” has been with us for a very long time. The non-advocates would probably frown upon this nugget of wisdom because it has been abused. The older generation, and by that, I mean generations much older than I am, believed the rod to mean a literal one. Thus termed as the "carrot and the stick" once referred to as reward and punishment where they took the punishment literaly with a slap or beating for a misdeed. Times have changed and the rod is now more of a symbol of discipline. Not giving into the demand of a little boy is a rod. Not surrendering to the outlandish cries of a toddler and sticking to your decisions is a rod.

We must remember that life is about choices. Our choices determine what kind of life we shall lead. We should let our children reap from their correct choices and suffer from the wrong ones. They will learn more from the results of their actions than being told of the consequences.

Parenting is no easy task. One has been blessed to take care of God’s gift, we should not ruin it. In the end, a child who has grown believing of false entitlement and undisciplined will prove to be a lonely man, all alone with everybody hating him or her and will never earn true respect and admiration from peers but instead will be loathsome and hated for his/her self-proclaimed privileges.

One day on a River

 Once again, one of my works is going to be displayed at the GSIS as I join notable artists in an exhibit. I am experimenting a new form, this time giving my impressions of our Yanagawa River cruise in Fukuoka, Japan. I am attaching my work and a little poetry that should go with it. I will attach it at the back of the painting.

One day on a river

I ride the donkobune with care,

strange boatman in his white happi coat

in traditional kimono greets me,

smiles, utters words not understood,

he gestures where I should sit.

He uses his long bamboo pole,

pushes, stirs and starts the hour long journey.

He navigates the canal with care,

knows each turn as he has done

a thousand times, with different

faces, color or weight. He does not care.

He blabbers continually, probably narrating

an important tale of samurai bravery

or of a beautiful maiden bequeathed

to a mortal as told in lore – all lost to me.

Going underneath a long bridge

he breaks into a song, with a melody

more peculiar than its words.

how can the still waters be so clean,

I wonder. Nary a paper cup nor plastic

can be found anywhere. It does not smell

like I am used to with the esteros in my own land.

Just majestic, willowing trees

calmly listening to the breeze.

Then, an egress perched on a tree

flaps its wings as if to welcome me

to his abode.

I traverse the canal with nameless

strangers, oblivious of my existence

as I am of them. Just like the river and

everything I see and experience.

All I get to do is wonder - if anything

concrete shall be retained in my head.

Tito Rolly

Impressions of Yanagawa

Watercolor on paper

25 x 36 in

The Senate and PRRD

 The recent appearance of former PRRD before the senate gave me some personal insights. Remember. These are my personal insights.

 First of all, once again, he has shown the lack of proper breeding and no sense of decorum. I wonder what kind of household he had growing up and what kind of family he had reared.  He constantly cursed and even with extreme pride.  Never mind. We have always known the kind of man he is.  Let us just say his conflicting pronouncements gave me a headache. 

To paraphrase the main theme of his statements, he said, sounding noble to his minions by the way they clapped and cheered, “I shall be held liable for all the killings. Do not blame it on the cops… If I am given another chance, I shall do these again.”  Was he true to his words? I have reason to believe that the former President’s pronouncements are not really that gallant. These pronouncements may even be ignoble.  When confronted by Sen Risa Hontiveros if his commitment extended to those innocent civilians who died from the police, his response can be attributed to either, he did not understand the question fully or that he thinks he has something up his sleeves.  He waivered saying something like “walang maniniwalang abugado dyan.”  So, he believes, just like Roque, that his smugness is coming from a technical standpoint.  Me lusot, ika nga. The Bill of Rights guarantee that no person shall be a witness against himself.  Therefore, his words cannot be used against him.  These have to be proven which might take a long time maybe until his death and then he shall go scot free.  Also, he is a septuagenarian, a mitigating circumstance in the Revised Penal Code of the country.  What that means is that he cannot suffer the full extent of the law.

On a deeper level, cops who followed his directives should be held responsible and cannot claim they were just following orders.  A subordinate should ONLY follow lawful orders.  To kill an accused without the benefit of a fair trial is wrong in any country, in any jurisdiction, unless it is a dictatorial form of government, perhaps.  Duterte knows this, as a matter of fact, he said no PMAer would have followed had he categorically said that.  However, there are a lot of footages that see him explicitly or impliedly mentioning this directive. This can even be felt with his pronouncements before the Senate. He probably thinks because he was the President, he was giving a lawful order because, in his way of thinking, that is his way.  Well, is he correct?  The death penalty is no longer being meted out to even heinous crimes by our laws.  So, even if any criminal who will be found guilty in a court of law, cannot be given the death penalty.  Duterte’s claim clearly is in violation of the principle of “innocence unless proven guilty.”  A principle lost on all his believers.  Even more problematic is his admission having told the police to plant evidence just to pin down a suspect. According to him, that was his way when he was still a prosecutor.   How horrible it will be for a parent if his/her child is suspected and planted evidence and be killed just so he will have no more “problems” with criminal elements. Such was the case when out of nowhere, the government would have a list of addicts and pushers and be accosted and killed as in the famous “tokhang” series.  Imagine if you had a quarrel with a neighbor or a Barangay captain and they included your child to that list?  What a nightmare that would have been, right?  True enough, it happened many times before. Imagine, no right to a fair trial. Duterte’s kind of justice. Kill and get rid of these criminals.  Futhermore, there are evidences now that point out that big time criminals are not touched because they are being favored. But that has yet to be proven. 

Well, he always said he is going to hell. There is a strong possibility he will.  Life is all about choices and he made a choice.  At least there is one thing we can agree on .

In Aid of Legislation

  The country has been witness to very interesting events in congress today.  Thanks to the introduction of the internet, youtube and other platforms, one of the functions of government, the legislature and its inquisitive nature to investigate in aid of legislation, and how the players perform such function is now open to every citizen who has the mind to watch and observe how these things work and the trimmings that go with it.  Sometimes, though, I find myself in a quandary whether such opportunity is good or bad for the country.  For one, many observers can be misled and come to misguided conclusions simply because somewhere along the way, something has been lost, like the real purpose for why such a thing is happening.

For starters, I find it odd that congressmen and senators would, instead of ferreting the truth out of their resource speakers by trapping them and inadvertently admitting their participation with illegal activities, just like Luistro or Gutierrez and/or the other young congressmen who are probably lawyers, these lawmen would use intimidation like they would a stubborn child, which actually, does not hold water, after a long while.  We would always hear a congressman threaten a witness by citing him or her in contempt, sometimes for more than one until said witness is banished till kingdom come.  What they fail to take into consideration is that it becomes too ordinary it is no longer a threat.  A child who has been admonished for an offense, will likely be immune to a punishment that has been given repeatedly over time until such punishment does not serve its purpose anymore. 

What perplexes me more is that when a witness has already given an answer, they would pounce on the witness if such an answer did not conform to what they expected.  It is common knowledge that the onus probandi or burden of proof lies on an accuser.  If they think the witness is lying, it is their duty to prove that such pronouncement is a lie but nevertheless, they should take the answer as it has been given at face value. For after all, they always claim that they have the records that belie a testimony given.  Remember that the proceeding is just in aid of legislation, hence, the committee is not a court of law and as such, the main proponents should neither be accusatory nor give a verdict in nature and should be thankful for their resource people for making themselves available and be of assistance to the task at hand, make laws that are logical and sound.  Instead, what the public sees is a game of intimidation to the point of bullying their witnesse, shouting and rebuking their testimonies.One must remember that these witnesses are not to be considered as criminals and have yet to be proven as such in a court of law.  There was one senator who was heard to say, “Napipiikon na ko sayo!”  like as if he was talking to an errant child.  Had I been the witness, I would have said, “that is your prerogative, your honor, but I have given you my response!”  Another senator that gets into my nerve is a newly elected senator who even before interrogating Guo, uttered, in all arrogance, “humanda ka at pihadong papawisan ka ng husto sa mga itatanong ko!” Was that even a proper utterance from a certain person who shall be addressed as “Your Honor? Said senator is known to have a show that actually condemns before it hears which, of course, is contrary to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.   I also heard another senator a while back, saying to Guo, “You have to prove to us that you are innocent!” A very wrong notion, if you ask me for the simple reason that again, the burden of proof lies on an accuser.  I have been a one-time debate coach and I have always been telling my team that the negative does not have any responsibility to prove its case for the burden of proof always lie on the affirmative and that the negative’s responsibility is just to negate unless the affirmative has either proven their case or the negative is on the attack.  She, as a lawmaker should have known better, shouldn’t she?

Sayang lang, I can see that Cassandra Ong, notwithstanding her pronouncements that she has only reached, and not even finished Grade 6, can communicate in English rather well, as in her testimony, she was just the interpreter of the Chinese as they neither speak Tagalog nor English, the medium of instruction in the country. And yet, she can, in the words of Congressman Abante, drive circles around their heads.  It seems that these people have rehearsed what they are going to say until a verdict of reasonable doubt has been established and they are acquitted.   At a very young age, she owns fifty-eight percent of a company that has earned billions which is very unlikely.  It is apparent to me that she is a mere dummy and is being used by these POGO operators to gain advantage out of our laws which hopefully will be corrected by the proceedings in aid of legislation. I got that assumption just listening to her testimonies and yes, they need not have to cite her in contempt.   I wonder what kind of law should come out of these.  Just the same, I am still hopeful that the Filipinos’ real interest shall be served.

Of Shameless and Alzheimer's

     When I get to discover what I feel is a good movie, or in this case, a Netflix series, I cannot stop watching until I have finished the whole thing.  My latest is a series called Shameless. I am now on its eleventh episode of the eighth season. Three more to go.  Anyway, it is about a dysfunctional family at the south side of Chicago, said to be known for its disreputable location where poverty stricken families, homeless, addicts, and drug pushers thrive. The Gallagher family, due to a neglectful father, is supposedly headed by the eldest daughter, Fiona, played by Emmy Rossum, who had to single handedly raise her siblings since she was herself a toddler because the father, Frank, (William H. Macey), is a no good addict, alcoholic who is always wasted. The mother, Monica, was herself an addict and a bipolar who came and went always abandoning her family. The children, naturally, had to live using cunning ways to get by.  They grew up to be thieves and con artists just to survive and a dog eats dog world.

                The family had a trusted husband and wife neighbors who owned a bar named Kev, an almost naïve but honest man who loves his wife, V, an African American. They are joined in by a Russian hooker who forced her way to their lives until she ended up owning the bar because of her intelligence.  The series has introduced interesting characters all throughout the entire show and I am really enticed to watch it in between work. 

                Anyway, the father, Frank, is just no ignorant fool.  In spite of his addiction and alcoholism, there lies a man who has developed his own philosophy in life.  In one of the episodes, he blurted out his thoughts on Alzheimer’s which I have been thinking about since I have seen my mother being afflicted with the disease.  Frank said, “Alzheimer is an evolutionary advantage that we’ve developed so we won’t have to be aware of the depth of misery we face in our dotage!”

                I have always thought along those lines.  Alzheimer’s to me is a coping mechanism.  It is something that numbs away our pain having to see how we deteriorate and not be a part of a society who does not give a damn on destitute and old folks while they are trying to survive in a world that only cares for those who can live independently and better yet, comfortably. 

Third Time Around

 My friends know that I went under the knife twice last year - nephrology in July where they took out my cancer riddled right kidney and a complete thyroidectomy last November. While I am not complaining, my wallet is. I thought that I have already completed my health issues by then and I will never have to see the operating room again with all the hassles from blood donation, securing clearances and finally, not being able to pee while stabilizing in the recovery room. Let me illustrate:

Blood donation - upon learning that my urologist, Dr. Joel Aldana, required blood just in case I may need it, my sons and a brother-in-law were quick to donate blood to St. Luke's at BGC where I was supposed to have my surgery. However, that surgery was postponed because i could not complete my clearances. The blood donation had to be wasted, well, on me anyway. When it was time for my surgery, there still was no blood as my donors can no longer donate as it was still to soon from their previous donation. My son, Mickey, rescued the day when he bought the needed blood, thanks to his organization, the JCI who had contacts with the Red cross a day before surgery.

Securing clearances - During my very first operation, I have to secure clearances from a cardiologist, a nephrologist, gastro, endo and ENT. It would have been a simple one until my chest xray showed that there is a deviation on my right chest as a result of my growing thyroid. As I had to undergo another CT scan with contrast, a clearance from my nephrologist was needed which proved to have given me the hardest time. When I was about to see her for a clearance, I was told that she was attending a convention the whole week. I was delayed for a week.

The week I was supposed to see my nephro, she had changed location to far away Alabang. I tried contacting her thru teleconsult but I am really not comfortable doing that. I had to go to another nephro who gave me my needed clearance.

Peeing- it has always been my problem eversince - I cannot pee on a bedpan. I have to be standing and alone. I realized this problem when I had my first operation, a partial thyroidectomy in 1986. They wouldn't let me stand and go to the toilet in spite of my insistence that I am no longer groggy. After several hours, and too much prodding, a male nurse accompanied me to the toilet. When I reached the toilet, I got the bottle of IV from him and asked him to step out. Only then was I able to pee. This happened again during the thyroidectomy in November. I was so frustrated they would not return me to my room unless I peed. I told them of my dilemma and even bargained to sign a waiver, just let me go. They enclosed my bed with standing covers and allowed me to stand and yet, no dice. Finally, they succumbed and returned me to my room where my wife was patiently waiting.

Enough of my woes.

Last December, I noticed that my left abdomen was bulging. Alarmed, I contacted a surgeon, the daughter of a very close friend. She asked if I had an incision on my tummy when I had my nephrectomy. I had one because while they did a laparoscopy on me, they had to make an incision to take out the kidney. She told me that sometimes, it could result into a bulging and advised me to see my urologist who did the operation. Having known that, I googled reasons why an abdomen would bulge after a surgery. Turns out to be hernia.

I went to my urologist as I was due to see him in January, anyway. He looked at the bulge and saw that it was not due to the incision thus ruling out incisional hernia. He asked me to lie down and felt my abdomen and suspected it to be an abdominal hernia. He recommended a surgeon, Dr. Dante Ang.

So, today, I. together with my wife, am due to go to the Philippine General Hospital for the third time for admittance. I shall undergo another surgery tomorrow. I hope everything is in order.

A little prayer for me will go a long way. Thank you all.

PS.

This post yielded about 387 reactions and 286 comments in response to my request for prayers. I feel so loved at this point 

All reactions:

397Mizel De Los Santos, Nitz Delos Santos and 395 others

My Kidneys

 Eversince I retired in 2018, I had been seeing two different kinds of doctors for the past two years as a result of my being diabetic for more than twenty years – an endocrinologist, Dr. Lu, who takes care of my endocrine disorders which is the primary doctor who takes care of my diabetes and my thyroid seventy five percent of which has already been removed in 2003.  The other doctor, Dr. Guiang,  is a nephrologist, who takes care of my kidney as they started weakening since the beginning of the 21^st century.  

My HMO, which is a carry-over of my employment at DLSZ, was due to expire in sometime in May, 2023 as I am to turn 65 years old in September.  Our contract says it can only be extended till that age.  When I told my doctors about this, they agreed that I might as well take advantage of it and to run all possible tests before it expired.  Following the suggestion, I had an ultrasound of my upper and lower abdomen and my thyroid not knowing these would start a battery of tests that will give me quite a scare and my first brush with the Big C. 

The tests yielded that my thyroid is acting up again.  The result said that it has formed calcification which means that the risk of malignancy is quite high.  I was advised to undergo a Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy but even then, I have decided that I will just have to undergo another surgery and have my thyroid completely removed.  I thought that would have been the end of my worries not knowing that it has only just begun.  The ultrasound of my abdomen turned out that I have developed complex cysts in both of my kidneys.  I immediately reported this to my nephrologist who advised me to have a CT scan.  I had the CT Scan at the Medical City and it yielded that what I have at the left was Bosniak Type 1 which is okay and that they just have to monitor it annually.  The right kidney was the problematic one because what I had was Bosniak Type 4 which has at least a 90% risk of being malignant.   I was advised by my doctor to see a Urologist immediately to address this.  As some sort of appeasement, my nephrologist, showing me several diagrams, said that normally these cysts are taken out partially and that if taken away, will be the end of it. Emboldened by this possibility, I immediately went to the Urologist to have these checked - but he was not available. I was only able to see him after two weeks. 

My meeting with the Urologist was not pleasant.  Without any pause or introduction, he said flatly that the tumor was at the center of the kidney and the only possible way is to take the kidney out in its entirety.  What really bothered me was his statement that this might mean I will have to start undergoing dialysis, something I have dreaded from the time I was told that my kidneys were weakening several years earlier.  My head began to spin and I saw my world crumbling down.   I immediately told my nephrologist of this development and seeing how worried I have become, she gave me the assurance that dialysis was not automatic.  The kidney function should at least be at 15% before one has to go on dialysis.  Mine was at least at 48%.   Much later, I would have an imaging of the function of both kidneys and it showed that the right, which was to be taken away, was at 52% while the remaining one was at 48%. It was just my luck that it would be the better one that has to be taken out but it is what is.

It was at this time that I sought to have a second opinion.  I went to another Urologist, this time at the Medical City, Dr. Joel Aldana.  Now, upon seeing the position of the cyst, he said he was going to discuss it with his anesthesiologist and see the possibility of an ablation, a surgical procedure that partially burn off the cancer from the source. That gave me a glitter of hope.  He asked me to return a week after he had discussed my case with his team.   The following week, I went to see him again and this time he said that neither ablation nor partial surgery is possible due to the location of the cysts.  The kidney really has to be taken out.  He said that we can have the procedure done at St. Luke’s, BGC.  Asking him for an

 

 

estimate of how much the procedure would cost, he said aroung Php500,000.  When he saw the price blew my mind, he offered that my second option was the Philippine General Hospital where he said it will be almost half of the price.  I discussed this with my wife and both of us not knowing how it will be at the PGH, it being a government hospital and all, decided to have my surgery done at St. Luke’s for after all, the retirement pay I got from my previous employer is still intact.  My doctor got a schedule for me to have the procedure done on April 25, 2023. Seeing that it was only two weeks before, he ordered me to see a cardiologist for clearance.  I did and after having a battery of tests, it turned out that there is a deviation on my right lung due to my thyroid which is acting up again.

I was referred to a pulmonologist who ordered that I have a CT scan of my chest, among others.  Before I could do that, I had to secure a clearance from my nephrologist to have it done since the procedure would require a contrast, a dye that would show the organ to be scrutinized .  I went to Dr. Guiang only to be told that she won’t be available for the whole week as she was attending a convention of nephrologists.  That meant I would not find any from anywhere as they were all in that convention. To find one was like looking for a needle in a haystack. We had to cancel my scheduled surgery until I have obtained the necessary clearance that it would be okay that the anesthesia tube won’t stand in the way.  After a week, I was able to get the needed clearance from my doctor so I immediately went to St. Luke’s for the CT scan. The contrast, which is some sort of a dye that would  make the target organ be visible is not pleasant. I knew it would cause me itchiness albeit not being allergic to it.  Just the same, I had the CT scan and after a week got the result that it won’t be a problem. I was advised to see an ENT for clearance.  I went to one who said it will be okay as he sees it would not be a problem – and yet, he added to be sure, to have someone insert an instrument down my throat to see the opening!  Since he categorically said in his clearance that he saw no obstacle as to why it would cause a problem from his professional point of view, I showed it to my urologist.  True enough, he wanted to be sure and have an ENT view the interior of my throat.  I went to another ENT, who, put an instrument down my nose all the way down to my throat.  I was given the go signal.  Armed with a clearance from the ENT, I  went back to the cardio to get my clearance from her.  However, realizing that my tests show that I have a slightly fatty liver, she asked me to get another clearance from a Gastro.  I did as told although I knew that in order for a fatty liver to be considered high, the number should be at least three times the upper limit. Mine was not even double.  Anyway, I got the clearance and went back to the cardio who finally released her own clearance.

It was at this time that I decided to have my surgery done at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) as my HMO has, by this time, expired.  I was contacted by my Uro’s secretary who told me that my schedule will be on July 3 and that I should go there two weeks before to get a reservation. That gave me plenty of time to go to Calatagan, Batangas and do the school’s graduation stage.  This gave me some money plus the painting commissioned by its Principal, my good friend, Henry Magahis was my income for the month. 

One morning, I received an email from DLSZ asking me if I wanted to renew my HMO. I thought they may have made a mistake forgetting that I cannot renew anymore. I read the email carefully and surprised that the school had decided to extend the benefit for five more years. I will continue enjoying the benefit till I turn seventy. Great!!! It just might turn out that I won’t be paying anything for this operation with it being done at the PGH.  All that delay might have proven to be a blessing after all.

Although I had to pay for a higher premium, I immediately went to the bank to pay for the renewal of my Health Insurance.  Everything seemed to be falling in the right place.  So, on July 19, two weeks before my confinement, I went to the PGH with my wife to reserve for a room.  As instructed, I had to be confined a day before the operation.  Unfortunately, I was told there was no room available on that day. 

 They had a vacancy the day prior, July 1. So, I grabbed that, paid for the reservation and was on our way.  Again, that worked like a blessing as it gave me more time to prepare before I went under the knife.  Days before the procedure, I remembered my friend, Doc Emer, who taught at the UP Medicine which used the PGH as its hospital. I contacted him at his Instagram account and told him of my plight.  It was then that I learned that he knew my Urologist - his classmate in Med school.  He had to go abroad on the day of my surgery and will be back days after when I have gone home.  Just the same, he promised to endorse me to my doctor.  This turn out to be another blessing as I found out from my Insurance provider that my doctors are not accredited and that I would have to pay the Professional fees from my own pocket. Maybe I can get a discount.

On July 1, we were taken to the hospital by my son, Mizel. We were met there by Dennis Lopez, the nephew of my eldest sister by marriage.  He worked at the hospital and promised assistance with whatever we would need.  I was admitted around 11 am, three hours after we checked in.  I was taken to room 708, which was surprisingly big. I would have gotten a much smaller room for a higher price had I gone to either St. Luke’s or the Medical City.  It was immaculately clean.  The only misgiving I had was I waited for lunch, only to be told that it has been delivered already.  An apologetic nurse offered to help me order food from outside.

Soon, doctors were coming to the room to do their routine interviews. Then, one of them asked me about the blood donation.  It then dawned on me that I had forgotten about the order to have someone donate blood, just in case I needed it.  My two sons could no longer donate blood as they have already done o together with Mizel’s brother in law, Jeartley.  This was recent which disqualified them to be donors, until three months have elapsed. 

My son, Mizel,  to the rescue again.  He is an active member of the JCI and one of their programs is helping out with the Red Cross.  He asked around and found there was of my blood type at the Port Area branch of the organization.  He made arrangements to pick two units the following day.  That settled, I had nothing to worry about anymore.

I woke up the following day and since I was the first patient to undergo surgery at the time, I was picked up from my room at around 5 am.  I patiently waited while they were all busy preparing the operating room.  I noticed a beautiful woman helping to prepare the room.  When I got to see her name plate, it turned out she was part of the anesthesiologists.  Everybody was busy preparing the sterilized room, machines being prepared while I remained lain on my bed.  One by one, the doctors arrived. I was rolled in the operating room and soon, Dr. Aldana who was to perform the operation greeted me.  It was at this time that I was assured that everything would go well.  I was asked to lie on one side, hold my feet together in some sort of fetus position as I was being told by the beautiful young woman that they were putting me to sleep.  As expected, I was roused from my deep slumber at the recovery room after I was told I was under for four hours.  It was all over and I never felt a thing.  It was there when I saw the beautiful young doctor again looking at the records. She approached me and muttered that they are taking me back to my room.  It was there that I gathered enough courage to talk to her.  “Miss, there is something I want to get off my chest.” Without batting an eye, I told her, “You are very beautiful!”  She smiled and said something I could no longer remember.  I was wheeled back to my room after what seemed to be about less than an hour. 

Two days after the operation and I was given the go home order. This is quite fast and I am on my way to a fast recovery. There are a lot of people I have to thank for making this event of my life pass like a breeze. My expression of gratitude will never be enough but all I can do is give my sincerest appreciation to the doctors who performed the operation, anesthesiologists, resident doctors, the medical staff, the nurses, orderlies of PGH who made sure that I was comfortable and safe. I would like to thank my friend, Dr. Emer Faraon,  for giving a shoutout to my Urologist, Dr. Joel Aldana, my former student, Dr. Raphy Arada who endorsed me to his resident friends, Dr. MKristoff Delos Reyes, Dr. Nats DelCarmen, my nephew, Dr. Manny Glorioso, Dr. Pau Gonzaga and Dr. ED Ecle for patiently explaining and helping me understand what I was going through from the discovery of my ailment till my operation. I give special thanks to my former student, Cong. Bryan Revilla and his people at the Agimat Party list for offering financial assistance, my eldest sister, Rosalinda Delos Santos Lopez and her in-laws especially Dennis Lopez and Andrew Lopez Cacnio for their invaluable assistance during my stay at the hospital, her son Renato Jun Lopez, my children who gave me their full support, especially Mizel for driving us to and from the hospital and acquiring the blood from the Red Cross, my friends, Raymond and wife Angie Cadlum, my very close friends, Ollie and wife Catherine V. Marcelo, my former principal, Alfred Sagum who took time out to come visit me, Aura Gonzales-Trinidad for the fruits she sent my way. I would like to thank the more than 450 virtual and personal friends here and abroad, who liked, hearted or gave out virtual hugs and/or commented on my post right after my surgery – my prayer warriors from the very start. Lastly, I thank my wife for staying with me all throughout the entire procedure.

 While I am still waiting for the result of the biopsy, I was told by my doctor that the complex cysts in my kidney seem to have been contained inside and could not have spread which means I do not have to undergo chemotherapy. Today is my third day after the procedure and I am now at home and on my way to a speedy recovery, comfortable, and in high spirits.