Hope for the Holidays

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

A 47-year old patient of ours, welcomes the holiday season with more hope than usual. He started off with immense weakness on all his extremities on the right side of his body due to a stroke. In comparison with his condition last month, he can now move his right hand, sit on his wheelchair and is improving with his speech.

He is a husband and a father. He has not given up. He has chosen not to give up. He is a fighter.

His family supports him. They are the reason he can still give that lopsided smile despite his current condition.  He is resilient. He represents those who are still willing to be the best they can be. He represents HOPE.

There are many just like him. There are many out there who haven’t lost faith in getting better, in feeling better, and in being a better version of themselves. There are many of those who haven’t given up. There are many of those who aren’t affected much by the chaos surrounding lab results that may change your life and give you a horrible prognosis. Call it good days and bad days, but regardless of what we may label it, they are our days. This is the season to give tribute to those who still have hope and still fight for it.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

TRF’s 2015 Christmas Party

There’s More to Christmas
- Unknown

There’s more, much more to Christmas
Than candle-light and cheer;

It’s the spirit of sweet friendship
That brightens all the year;

It’s thoughtfulness and kindness,
It’s hope reborn again,

For peace, for understanding
And for goodwill to men!

Merry Christmas, from all of us!

Pinoy Laughter Yoga

Written by Mikee Pasaporte

The opportunity to grab a Level 1 Laughter Yoga Certification Course was made available at Asian Hospital and Medical Center last November 21, 2014, in partnership with The Ruth Foundation. This was led by Master Pinoy Laughter Yoga Instructor, Mr. Paolo Trinidad.

Some topics discussed were:

• techniques to facilitate laughter yoga in both hospital and office settings;

• facial and mouth exercises to enhance good laughter; and 

• self-care regimens

Mr. Paolo Trinidad sharing his knowledge on simulated and real laughter

Laughter Yoga session during the TRF Open House last August 2015

Reasons to Give Thanks

Written by: Mikee Pasaporte

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”- J.F. Kennedy

It is that time of the year when the word “Thanksgiving” floods our social media. Though here in the Philippines, Thanksgiving Day is not a holiday or an event most families celebrate. It is difficult to be thankful for things we do not want to happen in our lives; circumstances like illness, loss of a loved one, accidents and so forth, but I would like us all to take this time to embrace the concept of being grateful.

Read this with me:

I am grateful for the air I breathe, the water I drink, the food I eat, the roof on my head, the clothes on my back, and the tons of extras I call “necessities”.

I am grateful for family and friends, who have stuck with me through thick and thin.

I am grateful for health, maybe it hasn’t been optimal the entire year, yet I am still alive.

I am grateful for being able to dream without limitations and having the courage to pursue it.

I am grateful for everyday miracles. The vehicular accident that barely missed me; my phone not slipping into the bathroom sink; getting away from the stove as soon as the oil flies in all directions and many more ^_^

I am grateful for freedom to practice religion.

I am grateful for smiles I get when I feel down. That random person who holds the door open. That random person who says “Hi”.

I have written some of the things I am grateful for …the simple things in life that we take for granted.

How about you? What are you grateful for?

Chickens, Eggs & Resiliency

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

One day, I was talking with Ms. Lira, our social worker, about a good patient story to feature this month. She mentioned the typical scenarios: patients who are in pain, patients who have sad family backgrounds… and a patient who takes care of chickens.

Now, this was something that tickled my inquisitive mind, so I ended up asking her to repeat that statement. She mentioned that we have a patient who takes care of nine chickens. A small business perhaps… was my initial impression. But no. This 42-year old patient suffers from liver cirrhosis, which is a condition in which the liver slowly fails and breaks down due to chronic injury; scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. I knew that I had to get to bottom of this.

Our patient showing off some of his chickens. He has ascites, which is the excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Nothing good comes easy. Raising chickens in itself involves time, effort and creativity, especially if you plan to raise them in your backyard. Like most animals, you have to feed them and give them fresh water daily for them to live well and treat you right. Treating you right, in the sense that they will supply you with decent eggs.

Why does this patient need chicken eggs in the first place? You see, when a patient has advanced liver cirrhosis their diet becomes a major role in the management of the condition. The patient’s protein intake must be increased, because protein is essential for the liver to repair itself and function to the best of its ability. That’s where the egg whites come into the picture.

Since eggs are not as cost-efficient as they used to, the best way to have a fresh supply daily would be to have your own chickens to provide it for you. Since our patient has been sick for the past couple of years, his children have been supporting him financially. As a good father, his desire is to lighten the load they carry.

Smart move, right?

He has not given up being a responsible father amidst his board-like abdomen, edema and current condition. So yes, as the cliché goes, Filipinos are resilient. And I can say that our patient has portrayed that virtue.