Kapuso: My eldest brother

Jan 30, '08
During my last visit to my family in Davao, my mother and siblings, I made a house-to-house stop-over for even just a few minutes. I met my auntie, my cousins, my brothers too in their house and home. It was random and my aim was to feel a relationship exisitng between and among the clan. It was a nice moment. My eldest brother I call Manong Boy enjoyed a lot of the lanzones we have during the visit. He has one grandson Mark.

Early this year, I learned about the sudden news about my eldest brother who got stroke last December 30. He got a heart attack and needs to battle for life now. I check my age and health too. Are we these old? Are we at this risks?

Papang got one stroke moment in 1998 and gone! My eldest brother got a stroke. He does'nt like doctors or hospitals not only because of high hospital bills but he has a phobia on injections according to my mother. His wife has to knock to our 2nd from the eldest brother to convince our eldest to have a medical check up. And there we learned. He got a stroke and his heart could only function now to 40%. He has to have an angiogram surgery to determine where and how the by-bass operation can be done soonest.

Problem: Will that guarrantee his survival? How much will the surgeries cost? Will there be enough resources to finance it?

The by-pass needs more than half million pesos! A solutiuon is to sell their house-and-lot to be used for the surgery in order to survive. Sell the house-and-lot where others living persons live in that house to save a life? But survival is not guarranteed. If he will just be in status quo, his other organs can be affected lessening his chance to survive.
I think my manong is just 55 or 58 years old? Im not sure but near if not at that range. He still can do many things in his age to a couple of decades I think. AS a CPA and a business partner, their company is a proof of his talent. His 3 professional children though still young have all graduated and have their own career.

And to where should life go? profession? marriage? Where is life destined to be? til where?
The ideals of a God-centered family is more difficult to achieve than understand. The conjugal dreams of a husband and wife may be good as a family goal. But the absence of God makes life so materialistic and relative or temporary.

The perfection of an individual, his maturity of mind and body, the happiness of a God-centered family that mutliplies their norms and mores to the community and tribe to their nation is a big role to be involved with. The proper dominion of the environment, the sorroundings including the global climate, the bio-fuels, the balancing of the animal ang plant kingdoms and many other things are broad enough to spend our time in life.
It is not only our own 4 walls that we need to cater in life. But health is a big factor that we need to bring and maintain in this great mission in life. Correct me if I am wrong.