093827 (feature article)

Faith: Another chance

He laid there—motionless but breathing. His fragile hands clutched each other. His eyes were closed. A glimmer of light dripped from his left eye. Above him was the carved wooden cross of Jesus Christ. There was an air of solemnity in the cold room. Then he spoke —“good health shouldn’t be taken for granted, and I thank the Lord for giving me another chance to live”. The tall and slender Moreno Tuguinay just had his second angioplasty, a technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel.

Moreno is a 65-year old retired Episcopalian priest and a long-time heart patient survivor. He had his coronary bypass surgery in 1996 and his first angioplasty in 2005 at St. Luke’s Medical Center. This recent one was conducted in Philippine Heart Center. Dr. Lam Sun Lao, his cardiologist since the 1990’s, headed the surgery and the two angioplasties.

Admittance

Monday. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Moreno was admitted in room 438 at the Philippine Heart Center. There he was—serenely lounged on the cozy bed, eyes closed. He was in a semi-private room. A thick partition on the side divided his bed from the others. Julie, his wife, and Winnie, his niece, were with him. When I entered, I thought I was in the wrong room. The flowery scent, the bible on the table, the faint yellow light and the image of the Lord on the wall gave the room a somber atmosphere.

Dr. Lao came in with papers and a rectangular suitcase in his hands. He showed Moreno the papers, let him sign, and advised him not to eat or drink anything after midnight.
As I was talking to Moreno, he often gave me that tender look, although traces of anxiety and anxiousness were etched vividly on his face. He responded with a calm voice, although he admitted that he felt terrified and apprehensive. “This is one of the hardest decisions in my life because it involves my family, life, and finance. But even so, I’m still fighting, and it takes a lot of faith, courage and will to do so.”

And then he gazed up, held both of his hands, smiled, and closed his eyes. The room went silent again.

The angioplasty

Tuesday―it was the day of the angioplasty procedure. It was 6:50 in the morning when Dr. Lao and a specialized group of medical doctors and nurses entered the room in their white and green suites. They all welcomed the day with a prayer. They gathered around, surrounded Moreno, joined hands and bowed their heads. The room went silent as Julie said a sincere prayer. Everybody surrendered to the Lord at that moment. It was a sublime scene.

Moreno was afterwards brought to the room for the angiogram, a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside of blood vessels―arteries, veins and the heart chambers. He laid there…eyes closed, as if still praying—but already anesthetized. They captured an x-ray image of his arteries, which showed that two arteries were blocked.

And so the angioplasty procedure began immediately.

Outside the room, Julie and Winnie sat in silence―apprehensive but confident in the Lord. It was a long and tedious 90 minutes.

By 8:30, Moreno was already out and was brought to the Coronary Care Unit or CCU.


Post-angioplasty

When Moreno was in the CCU, he was showing good signs of improvement. He was pampered with utmost care by the nurses and doctors, like a child seeking for comfort. Nurses, various doctors, and his cardiologist would go in and out of the room to check his condition from time to time. Julie would sit and take care of his needs, while Winnie would organize the papers and arrange the jumbled medicines. A nurse would come in during breakfast, lunch and dinner to bring his sumptuous and healthy meal of fresh fruits, hot broth, simmered vegetables, and nutritious rice. Moreno would gladly eat his meal.

After 24 hours at the CCU, he was brought back to room 438 where he was confined for three days. He was coping well at first, but later on, he was experiencing chest pains and heart palpitations. His cardiologist immediately went to the room, brought out his equipment, and expertly conducted examinations. He later on brought out his pen and scribbled something on paper―medicinal prescriptions.

After taking the prescribed medicines, Moreno gave a huge sigh of relief.

Reflections and a good end

With the success of the angioplasty, everyone rejoiced! However, the dilemma came when the bill was presented―an overflowing P430, 000! However on that same day, Moreno’s son, Kelly, who works in Massachusetts, called and agreed to contribute $4000! More blessings came later that week when relatives and friends began calling and visiting―offering some financial assistance. P158, 000 in total! Indeed, good things come to those who have faith!

“I am so relieved now that the angioplasty is over and many people are willing to help.” This was Julie’s reaction after the angioplasty. “This second angioplasty made me reflect on the temporary things we have in life. Now, we are more focused with much ease,” she added.

Winnie said with a hopeful smile, “I am glad that uncle is already fine. If he takes good care of his health from now on, he would benefit from it a lot.”

After 5 days in the hospital, Moreno was discharged―ready to start a new life with renewed faith and better perspective about life and health. His old but jolly face was back. Those traces of anxiety and doubt on his face days before were already gone.

The Sunday after the angioplasty, I saw them in Cathedral Heights, Quezon City. “Back then, I felt scared about everything, but again, prayer proved to be the best antidote to a heart disease,” Moreno said.

Then they departed to the church where the Almighty One was waiting.