The Moment I Chose to Live
When
we arrived home, the dinner was ready. And since I only had bread for breakfast
and lunch, I ate a lot until my stomach ached again. The feeling was as if I
was still hungry. So I went to my room and rested but I found myself eating again,
thinking I could ease the pain in that way. But the pain never went away, it
hurt even more. I cried and cried because I was already feeling back pains and
this scared my mother. She brought me to the hospital, but the doctor said that
it was just ulcer and gave me medicines for it.
I
took the medicines, but there were really no changes, no effect at all. So my Tito decided to call a faith healer. The
faith healer arrived, prayers were said and rituals were done. But still, the
pain that I felt was still there. My mother was very worried, but the fear I
felt in my heart was worse. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to
do. I tried to keep calm but the thoughts in my head were really bothering me. I
had the worst New Year’s gift ever, celebrating New Year lying in bed and suffering
from stomach pain.
The
next morning, we decided to go home to Davao so that we could go to a better
hospital. I was a little relieved from the pain. When we got home, I even
started to make my project to pass when classes resume on January 3. A few
minutes later, I started to feel the pain again, but I didn’t mind because I
really had to finish my work. At six o’clock, the pain was back again! I cried
and my mother said that we will go to the hospital the next day. So I lied in my
bed crying and trying to fight against the pain. I prayed to God and told Him
that I needed Him. “Lord, if you want to take me now, please take me. Because I
can’t.. I can’t do this anymore...” I begged as tears fell from my eyes.
I
called out for my mother and told her that I wanted to go to the hospital. When
we arrived at San Pedro Hospital, a nurse offered me a wheelchair but I said I could
still walk. As we entered the Emergency Room, I was worried because there were
so many patients. Minutes later, a nurse or maybe a doctor examined me and asked
me some questions. I was admitted and was not allowed to eat nor drink for a
couple of days.
The
first night was the worst; I cried so much, which made my mother and the nurses
panic. My mother was complaining because they didn’t do anything for me to feel
better. The nurses were trying their best, I knew. It was four or five in the
morning when I fell asleep. When I woke
up, I wanted to eat but sadly, I couldn’t. My doctor arrived and said that I’m
going to take some laboratory tests. So after many tests like x-ray,
ultrasounds, and others, the doctor said that it was Pancreatitis. It is
inflammation of the pancreas, which required
immediate medical attention and hospitalization during an attack. If not
prevented, this can damage blood vessels and lead to
internal bleeding, which may be life-threatening.
It was my third day in the hospital
when my classmates came to visit me. And then I remembered that classes had
already resumed two days ago. I felt like I wanted to regret all the things I
did that made me have this disease but I didn’t, because I believed that
everything happens for a reason and God has plans for me. So the next day, I
was allowed to eat and drink a little because the doctor said I was recovering.
That news made me and my Mom very happy.
It was Friday when my doctor said I
could go home. The pain went away and I was already fine. The doctor told me
about the things not to eat and not to drink: acidic foods and alcoholic beverages.
The doctor also said that we must be thankful that I was brought to the
hospital in time because if I were not, I could have died.
I left the hospital with such
happiness in my heart, because I survived, because God has given me another
chance to live, and because I made the right choice – to live. The things that
we have and the things that are happening now are all from the choices we make,
from the very moment we open our eyes to the moment we close them. It is our
own choice, and it will always be that way.
