A Wake Up Call

Every Friday, Kelsea and I go to my parents house after I fetch her in school. She was excited to play again with her cousin. When we arrived, mom was already waiting for us by the gate and said, “Dadalhin sa emergency ng Medical City si Daddy.” (Dad will be brought to the emergency of Medical City)

Rewind to Friday morning, my dad had only one or two hours of sleep then woke up very early and left the house a little past 5am. He was that early because of these reasons: his car was color-coding during Fridays, he needed to fetch a colleague, and lastly head straight to Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila in Pasig City for a conference. Since he’s the Country Manager of the organization sponsoring the conference, he needed to oversee the event. He ate no breakfast but only drank coffee. He felt sleepiness but fought it. With so much in his mind, he forgot to drink his maintenance medicine for hypertension.

He was a presenter at the conference and while he was just starting, he felt numbness around his mouth. He knew something’s wrong. He proceeded with his presentation. He began to notice that he was having a hard time pressing keys from his laptop. He didn’t stop but still finished the presentation until the question and answer portion. Some said his speech was already different but still continued. After that, he knew he was not feeling so well so he sat down. His concerned colleagues went to him (I think one of them tried shaking his hands but he can’t open his right palm anymore) and asked him if there’s something wrong. They called for medical assistance from the hotel and my dad’s blood pressure (BP) was checked. It was 240/150.

He was given Catapres at once. The numbness lessened but his colleagues decided to bring him to the nearest hospital which is The Medical City thru the hotel’s service. His colleague called my mom and then my mom called my aunt (my dad’s younger sister) to meet dad in the hospital since she works in Ortigas. Dad had an MRI and CT scan. From the results, the doctor/s saw that there was a bleeding in one of the veins of the brain caused by his high blood pressure. Doctor/s said the size was not alarming but needed to be monitored in the ICU because it might recur and can do more damage.

I just knew recently because of this incident that there are different types of stroke. You can check the differences here. What happened to my dad was a Hemorrhagic Stroke. For the first two nights, my sister and aunt were his watchers in the ICU. Tonight’s my turn but already here in a regular room. Thank God! I’m positive that he will recover very soon.

His blood pressure is being monitored hourly and he’s also undergoing therapy (for his right arm and leg). In two days, God willing, Dad will be back home. There will be so many changes, realizations and new learnings. He’ll be ready for it. We, his family, will also be.

This is a wake-up call for him, for us and for you. Here are some reminders for all of us:

1. Never take advantage of our health. We are not getting younger.
2. Religiously take your maintenance medications.
3. Don’t skip breakfast.
4. Give enough hours of sleep for our body to recharge.
5. Learn to say no when your mind and body already tells you so.
6. Don’t think twice on an expensive hospital. You will be given excellent service, utmost care and up-to-date facilities for critical cases like this. (Kudos to The Medical City!)
6. Family and true friends are always there for us. (Special mention to Tita Juliet, Mabes, dad’s colleagues who brought him to the hospital and those who kept his valuable things and the Ligaya ng Panginoon community)
7. Prayers work wonders!

Thank you, Lord. We continue to have faith in You because You are the most powerful of all.