Madre De Amor

A few weeks ago I did a story on hospice care in The Correspondents. We featured the Madre de Amor hospice in Laguna. We are so grateful to all those who allowed us to touch the hearts of Filipinos here and abroad.

I went back to the hospice to do an immersion on the life of a volunteer. In the beginning I didnt really know what to expect. Gina briefed me about the tasks. I remember a few. don't give money. dont wake up the patient. listen.

Today, my assignment was to visit tatay cresencio's house. He was a newcomer in the hospice and is suffering from lung cancer and is having difficulty moving his right arm. There were days he says when he wanted to commit suicide. The pain is sometimes unbearable.

He was in bed for the past 3 days trying to catch up with some lost sleep.

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I also visited Duday. A 6-yr old girl with Wilm's Tumor. She looks like a malnourished pregnant child. Her arms were thin, but her stomach was bloated.

She enjoys drawing and writing on her magic board. This is where she learned to write her name. Duday does not go to school because other school kids tease her with her appearance.

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Meanwhile, I also visited Tatay Carlos... in his wake. He was one of our case studies in the Correspondents, "Bilang na Araw". He passed away just a few days ago.

Volunteers not only prepare the dying for the inevitable but they continuously provide support to the bereaved family. Nanay still could accept his death. Tatay's dying wish, 'wag ka maglungkot, ako tanggap ko na'. He passed away in the arms of his eldest son, after he was he reassured na 'hindi pababayaan si nanay at ang kapatid ko'. He let out a dying smile. Apparently, volunteers see that often.

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And there's Yan-Yan. He couldn't stop driving his red toy car, though he couldn't see. His father was giving him instructions to go forward, atras, kaliwa kanan...

The little red car was given by a viewer from London who watched Yanyan's story.

He also received a keyboard for a Christmas present. I dont know how he learned to play.

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im back home and couldnt define what it is exactly i feel.
it lingers.