Lugaw Feeding

I was dead tired last Monday. When I left PGH I was feeling like a vegetable. I couldn’t even open my eyes. When I reached my office, I couldn’t sit straight, Edmund came and saw me literally on my desk. “What happened?” Nakasubsob ako sa lamesa.

Even after I took Biogesic and a tiny pinch of Bonamine,  my head was still pounding.  I  smothered my neck, shoulders,  forehead and temple with peppermint rub to relax me but  the pain and my body’s tiredness didn’t  want to go away.     Until now I still feel a bit tired.

Monday, December 8, 2014

I set my alarm to make sure I don’t oversleep. I left the house early. There was no heavy traffic because schools and government offices were closed in anticipation of typhoon Ruby.

I joined Father Chester, chaplain of PGH’s Immaculate Concepcion, Rev. Irmo, distribute 960 cups of lugaw (porridge) and a thousand boiled eggs to indigent patients at PGH.

We went from ward to ward, room to room, bed to bed, hallway to hallway. I didn’t expect to get tired, but after two hours, I started having migraine which was a sign that my body was already exhausted.

It would be a shame for me to stop. My pagod does not compare with the three sacristan’s efforts who have been preparing for this day since saturday. Boiling the chickens, shredding the meat, chopping the garlic, luya, etc. And beginning at twelve midnight, they started cooking the lugaw and boiling the eggs. Dyos ko, imagine paano mo hahaluin yung parang swimming pool na ilang kaldero? They haven’t slept. And today, they have the more difficult task of pushing the heavy carts. Ako eh taga abot lang ng lugaw and itlog. I don’t exercise kaya I don’t have the stamina.

We started our mission at 9:15 am.
This is the outpatient room. It is full of people with cuts and bruises. Yung mga naaksidente.  I’ve seen some with more serious injuries.  Some have gunshot wounds.  Head injuries.  Meron putol ang mga kamay, paa.    Basta I try not to look kasi I would be terribly affected.

This guy is watching his younger brother who is covered with sugat from face to legs. Nalimutan ko na what happened to him.

Kulang sa tulog at energy

Bagong luto yan at mainit pa.

I went from bed to bed asking them, “meron na kayong itlog?” “O luto na yan”.
After giving away hundreds of  eggs kaya ko lang napansin na ang tanong ko pala ay “May itlog ka na? Dalawa na itlog mo?” Next time I will speak in English “Hi, do you have eggs already? Do you have two eggs?”

with sister____, Fr. Chester, and the head nurse in that ward

Father Chester and _____ invited me to see the patients at the Cancer Institute.

Patients do not go hungry here. Even those in the charity sections are given three meals a day.

They also brought me to the second floor. Some companies like Avon and the Ricky Reyes Foundation, spent for the renovation and maintenance of some of the treatment rooms.

Female patients who have just given birth.

Ang daming nanganganak minu-minuto.  Siguro bawasan konti ang itlog.

I only brought one assistant and pawis na pawis sya. I wasn’t sure if he regretted coming with me because this is one hard work. He pushed the carts, carried the lugaw crates, also helped us distribute.

This is Baby Iman, 7 days old.  He’s yellowish.

This is Baby Althea, 6 days old with her 17 year old mom. Althea is so tiny. 31 weeks pa lang eh lumabas na sya, Ilan yun 7 1/2 months only?

I should have been a doctor of medicine.  If I were a doctor,  I would live here.  I would devote my life here.  I would be the best doctor ever.  It’s too late for that.  Eto lang ako, tiga bigay  ng lugaw at itlog.  Pwede na rin.  The patients call me doctor anyway.   Edmund said I should wear white every time I go to the hospitals.  Pangatawanan ko na daw ang pagiging doctor.  Doctor of eggs.  Hmm I like that.

We were not allowed to go inside the psychiatry ward. We might cause the patients’  agitation and it could trigger extreme behaviors.  According to the nurse, minsan gaya-gaya sila. . When one screams, the other patients react and start screaming also.
Delikado daw baka kami kalmutin meron din daw bigla na lang nangdadamba.  Their reactions are unpredictable.  My worry is not getting hurt kundi baka mahawa ako ng kuliling.  Konting-konti na lang kasi……  qualified na ako.

To avoid any untoward incident, we just gave the watchers two cups of  lugaw and two eggs each. We asked them to line up outside, away from the patients. Watchers have ID’s around their necks pero hard to tell, paano kung hiniram nung patient yung ID?  BAsta raw walang ID,  ibig sabihin ay pasyente.  Kaya pag nagpunta  kayo dito, wear your IDs.

This is 22 year old pretty Jen,  she was five years old when she lost her left leg from an accident.  She was hit by a bus while she was playing near the road.   Recently her right leg was amputated to avert cancer.

She still has a nice charming smile despite her condition.   I was teasing her that she probably has many suitors.  There’s another boy patient looking at her while I was there,  “Oh,  tingnan mo sya, ang sama ng tingin sayo,  may crush yan sayo”.  They all started laughing,  even the parents and other patients.    I could work as a clown in the hospital.  It could be my calling.

The one in pink is Ava,  she’s a Legion of Mary devotee and works at the Supreme Court.

14 year old girl whose eyes got severely infected from wearing of  contact lenses. Her eyes are full of nana.  She’s in danger of losing her eyes.    Huwag kung saan-saan bibili ng contact lens,  meron pang mga kulay.  Wag na okay na yung kulay ng mga mata nyo.

When I handed over the lugaw and itlogs,  I noticed the guy’s  facial expression.  He looked disoriented and on the verge of crying.

OMB———-“Oh, bakit ganyan ang mukha mo para kang iiyak na.  Asaw mo ba sya o kapatid?”

He said he’s from Zamboanga and she’s his niece.  Her parents are in the province and he’s the one taking  care of her.   He said he’s trying to call her parents because he doesn’t know what to do.  He might lose his job and he has no money for her medical needs.    I gave him P200 but when I got home and told Edmund about it,  he said I should have given him P500.

This is 5 weeks old baby Fatima. She is suffering from pneumonia.

Let’s wish her full recovery.  May she grow up to be a healthy and happy girl.