The Bus Holdup Incident

Perhaps, I am prone to witnessing petty street crimes. In my life as a city dweller, I have seen many instances of cellphone snatching, mostly because of stupidity like texting while in a jejemon infested area. During high school, I was robbed at knife point. The clueless thief never knew that what he got was merely a fifty peso counterfeit necklace I bought from a Muslim street peddler. Once, I almost became a victim of the Dura Gang. When they failed to procure their loot, I gave them the belat when I got off the jeepney we were riding. Their funny reaction was priceless. I wish I had a camera to record it.

It was a capricious Sunday evening, just past six. Devoid of any pirated movie being shown on its tawdry China made entertainment system, the half empty bus I was in was serene. Thankfully, the driver nor the conductor opted not to tune in to Love Radio or any cheap fm station either. The passengers inside were more or less ten. I was seated just a few rows after the driver. Behind him was a man in white sando who seemed to have come from the market because he was carrying a transparent yellow plastic bag of dried fish. In front of me was a man tinkering with his iPhone, texting endlessly he seemed. On my right was  a man in white shirt and denim shorts. Not far on the back seat was an old lady sleeping. She was already unconscious when I got in the vehicle.

In a dark corner of Pioneer along EDSA, the man in white sando asked the driver to stop the bus. Strangely instead of getting out, he faced us. Still carrying his bag of daing, he drew a homemade gun and suddenly declared a robbery. 

"Huldap to! Aken na mga silpon nyo!" he uttered in a loud but trembling voice.

We were caught off guard. Faced with danger, an atmosphere of fear inside the bus became palpable. With the robber pointing his gun to us, my body was paralyzed with dreadful emotions. In such situation, I follow a rule: Just give what the thief wants. I shall never resist unless I am sexually violated. The first item that the criminal got was the iPhone of the passenger in front of me who was busy texting ever since. Because it was in plain view of the perpetrator, he had no choice but to give it up. At that moment, I realized that being a text addict has its price. 

When the thief walked nearer with his gun facing me, my life flashed before my eyes. Yet no matter what happens, my conviction was strong. Mimicking the line of Leonardo DiCaprio from The Beach, my mind spoke out, "No! I will not die today!" As I stared at the felon, I noticed the look of apprehension on his face. It was as if he was a neophyte criminal or what he was committing was just a spur of the moment, unplanned. After all, nobody would try robbing people still carrying a bag of daing. I was about to surrender my wallet and phone when the man in denim shorts beside me suddenly grabbed the robber's gun. To the surprise of the criminal, the passenger who held on to his weapon pulled out a gun of his own. Fearing for his life, the thief instantly let go of his firearm while accidentally dropping the bag of daing he was carrying. He then hurriedly ran out of the vehicle. 

"Pulis ako," the man who took the gun away from the robber disclosed.

Except for the passenger who had his phone stolen, everyone was relieved that their belongings remain intact. Nobody noticed the daing left by the thief so I took it. Even after the commotion, the lola sleeping on the back seat remained undisturbed. She seemed to be breathing so I ruled out death. She might just probably be puyat. 

At home, I realized that something worse could have happened. In case a bullet gets dislodged during the short scuffle, I may cease to exist as a life form. I felt a little traumatized thereafter. The next morning, I felt happy for my new lease in life. Hungry, I was like a newborn baby longing for milk from the breasts of his lactating mother. What I had instead was a sumptuous breakfast of fried rice and the daing left as souvenir by the runaway thief. 

  

Letting Go Of A Dying Son

This is the case of a 5 year old male patient who was rushed to the hospital after he had a seizure. He was a known case of bronchial asthma. From a fairly common medical illness, it surprisingly led him in a state of coma.

The sudden commotion near the hospital entrance caught everyone's attention. A young boy, seemingly unconscious, was quickly being carried inside the ER. Once placed in bed, he was immediately examined. His lips and extremities were extremely pale. Aside from the cyanois, his body was cold to touch. Fearing that he may have already died, his vital signs were checked. His heart was racing fast. He presented with labored breathing. Rales and wheezes were heard all over his lungs. Though reactive to light, his pupils were unequal. He was totally unresponsive to command and pain. From the look of it, the patient was comatose.

With her voice trembling, the mother informed, "Nangisay po sya bigla habang papunta kami ing ospital para ipa-checkup sya dahil gumagrabe nga ang hika na."

With his respiration turning worse, the patient was intubated. While IV drip and other therapeutic modalities were being done, his parents look at him with despair. It was as if they knew that the prognosis of their son was bad. Though still early to tell at that time, the boy appeared to be clinically brain dead.

After a visit from the neurologist the following morning, a diagnosis was made --- anoxic encephalopathy. It is a grave neurological condition brought about by lack of oxygen to the brain. The mortality for such illness is high. As time passed by, the patient underwent several examinations. The result of the EEG was ominous. His brain activity was isoelectric or flat. Other tests revealed that the damage to the brain was severe and irreversible. The patient was in an obvious vegetative state. To expect him to wake up was like expecting a mobile phone to turn on without a battery. Sad but true, his road to recovery was nil.

"May pag-asa pa po ba ang anak ko?" the distraught father asked the dreaded question.

In a hopeless case, the answer to such brings nothing but unbearable pain. To respond to such question is extremely difficult. It is like putting a stake to the already grieving hearts of the patient's family. For the doctor, it is facing the regretful fact that not all patients can be cured no matter what. Yet, pain happens when you care. That's why, one should bravely face the undeniable truth.

A week passed. For the parents, it was the longest week of their lives. In the four corners of the ICU, time seemed to have stood still. Their son continued to deteriorate. The signs of a fatal outcome were already conclusive. Basically, the patient was already incapable of sustaining life on his own. Without the machines, tubes and medicines, he was practically lifeless. If the time comes his heart stops, resuscitating him would be impractical. Wanting not to prolong their agony, the parents were asked to consider signing a DNR form.

Nothing saddens me more than handling a document with the words "Do Not Resuscitate" and asking the patient's family to sign it. To impose it is like permanently locking the door of hope. But there are instances it needs to be done such as in the patient's situation. The parents were apprehensive at first. Their hesitation was understandable. No parent could endure not helping his child in the brink of death. Yet, reality showed that the young boy's case never look promising from the start. To still expect something good out of it may cause more frustrations and pain. After awhile, the parents were able to accept their son's fate. They agreed to do what was logical but hurtful. With heavy hearts and tearful eyes, they signed the DNR order.

"Ipapaubaya ko na ho sa Dios ang anak ko. Mabigat man sa kalooban ko, tanggap ko na ang pagkawala nya," the bereaved father said. His expression almost trance like. On the other hand, the mother requested that may she immediately embrace her son right after he expires. She reasoned, the multiple tubes connected to his body had been hindering her from hugging her son ever since.

The following day, the patient's vital signs dwindled. His cardiac arrest became impending. As the parents were witnessing their son's brave battle to cling on to life, their eyes reflected that they knew his final moment had come. It did not take long for the young boy to expire. The day after signing the DNR form, it seemed like the patient was just waiting for his parents to finally let go of him. When the young boy's heart went asystole, it was expected that his parents were deeply hurt as if their hearts were crushed into pieces. What was unexpected on that moment was I becoming once again overwhelmed by one painful reality. Despite putting all your knowledge and effort in curing the sick, still not all of them can be saved. When all tubes were taken out from the patient's lifeless body, his mother's request was granted. She got to lovingly embrace her son one last time.