When you're feeling under the weather, sometimes the best remedy is to uplift others. Yesterday, we took this approach by visiting Bataan General Hospital to offer some monetary support and show compassion to one of our church sisters.
Her son, Alison, who has been battling leukemia and underwent chemotherapy last year, has been struggling with severe complications. What was supposed to be a routine follow-up turned into an extended hospital stay, they were there since August 21. My husband read the FB post of Eda, Alison's mother that she has been sleepless for days as Alison's fever spiked to 41.6°C, causing him to experience chills and convulsions. Early morning yesterday when we woke up, my hubby Joseph told me that we need to visit Alison and Eda in the hospital. We braced the storm for we had a storm signal no.1 yesterday as we travelled from our city to Balanga which is about 48.7 km.
We were even Doubtful if we can see Alison for he is in the isolation room with his mom both but still Joseph persisted that we go.
Gladly, the guard on duty let Eda see us at the waiting area.
These are the families and relatives of the patients who are confined in the hospital for their cancer treatments. Only one person is allowed inside to be with the patient. They have to wait here if ever the patient and the Family member watching over needs anything like food, clothing, etc because food from the hospital is only of the patients. The family who is watching must buy their own food at the canteen just outside the hospital.
This was our first time coming here so we were a bit shocked upon seeing the number of people who were there.
We waited for sister Eda after 10 minutes she was able to go down and see us. She said Alison was still having chills even while we were there. So we did not keep her that long. We hugged her and gave her words of comfort. I was really crying for I too am a mom and it's really painful to see your child in that state and there's nothing you can do about it.
As we were leaving she told us to stand across the street from the hospital so she can let Alison look over the window and see us. Their room was on the third floor.
She had to carry Alison just so he can wave to us! I was really crying seeing his thin and frail body.
stabbed me on the heart!😥😢🥺
As we journey back home, I received a text message from my sister asking help if she could borrow money to buy milk for my niece with special needs. Upon our arrival we dropped by the grocery and bought milk and other stuff for them to consume.
Then we reached out to my sister whose husband recently lost his job. With five children to care for and one child with Down syndrome, life has been incredibly tough for them. We brought the groceries to help lighten their burden. The kids were so happy with the bread and biscuits we bought for them. It is truly an utter joy seeing the smiles of children, it was really priceless.
The kids were so happy with the bread and biscuits we bought for them. It is truly an utter joy seeing the smiles of children, it was really priceless.
On our way back home, we found ourselves at a wake for the 45-year-old brother of my husband's former colleague died. He had a stroke just last August 29th, so sudden. The wake was at their house of whom we passed by and saw the tarpaulin outside their gate. My husband knew him that's why we were both shocked to know that it was his wake. We stayed to offer comfort and listen to heartfelt stories about him. He left behind three children, two of whom are still in school.
We got home past 8pm last night. My husband and I were talking about what a day we just had!
By reaching out and helping in any way we could, we not only supported Eda, my sister and The Mendoza family but also found a sense of purpose and comfort in our own challenging times. This act of kindness serves as a reminder that sometimes, helping others can be the ultimate way to heal ourselves.
Despite our own struggles with a slow business, witnessing the hardships and resilience of others gave us perspective. It reminded us that even in tough times, we have much to be grateful for. As the Bible says, "This too shall pass." With faith and compassion, we believe the storm will eventually pass, and we will find our way through.
Thanks for reading this far.
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