June 1, 2003
Life is precious
I am writing this because of you and you. Your recent articles made me ponder.
Exactly five months ago I was hospitalized for dengue. I had to welcome New Year's day and celebrate my 23rd birthday in the hospital. It was one of the most near-to-death-scare experience I ever had (aside from the 180 degrees turn I did along ADB Ave. in Ortigas. Nothing bad happened though, it just scared me to death.) Anyway, I remember how painful it was to have a blood test every 4 hours in nine days, just to make sure my blood platelette count wasn't going down. To make it worse, I AM A HEMOPHOBIC!
On my 6th day in the hospital, my gums began to bleed. It was a bad sign. They had to transfer me from QCMC to St. Lukes Hospital for platelette transfusion. I know I heard sirens, but I could no longer careless. I was in pain.
My first bag of platelette transfusion was like hell! I was raging with pain! I was punching my pillow and I cried myself to sleep. Few bags after, they had to monitor my platelettes. That means more blood tests! My arms was black and blue!
On my 7th day, my platelette went down again. Had another set of transfusion. This time, I was having bad thoughts. I was thinking of dying. Actually, it was more of wishing to die.
What stopped me from this thoughts? ... My family. My friends. My goals.
People from my yahoogroup (Ph-Photo) started coming in, donating blood and giving moral support. Friends from God-knows-where-they-were, came in and offered blood too. Even an ex came to visit.
My dying thought made me realize how precious life can be. I may not be dying that time, but I know my spirit was. And these people and their gestures gave me hope.
Now all I have to worry is if the blood transfusion I got was AIDS free. 8)
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By the way, that 180 degrees turn along ADB Ave., my rents doesn't know about it. Let's keep it a secret. ;)
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Photos courtesy of Jake Versoza and myself.