Monday, March 01, 2010
Ate Mhely was Rushed to the ER Moments After I Posted that Blog Entry About Her
A few minutes after I posted that Ate Mhely blog entry, I got a text that she was collapsed while cleaning my house and was rushed to the ER.
I called her up and was relieved to learn that she is fine, though they still have to run some tests to determine what caused her fainting. Initially, they found out that her blood sugar is unusually high.
My lunch meeting dragged on to Tuesday, and thirty minutes after midnight I learned that she was still in the hospital. I was able to talk to her husband on the phone. I excused myself from the meeting (yes, hindi pa siya exactly tapos nang 12:40am) to go to Quirino Hospital. Walang sinasabi si Ate Mhely or anyone from her family pero I know they would need help.
True enough, they spent hours waiting for the results of her urine test only to be told that they misplaced her sample so she would just have to come back the next day. Still, niresitahan siya ng 800-pesos worth of meds, and was billed P1,700 for lab fees! Geesh!
After settling the bill, nilinaw ko na kay Ate Mhely. It was almost 1am when I left her pero hindi pa siya nagla-lunch nu’n despite my insistence that she take a break at one of the cafeterias downstairs. Sabi niya sa telepono nu’ng una ko siyang nakausap eh uminom naman siya ng gatas from my fridge. At kumagat din siya sa brownies na naandu’n.
Ayun. Nag-collapse.
I called her up and was relieved to learn that she is fine, though they still have to run some tests to determine what caused her fainting. Initially, they found out that her blood sugar is unusually high.
My lunch meeting dragged on to Tuesday, and thirty minutes after midnight I learned that she was still in the hospital. I was able to talk to her husband on the phone. I excused myself from the meeting (yes, hindi pa siya exactly tapos nang 12:40am) to go to Quirino Hospital. Walang sinasabi si Ate Mhely or anyone from her family pero I know they would need help.
True enough, they spent hours waiting for the results of her urine test only to be told that they misplaced her sample so she would just have to come back the next day. Still, niresitahan siya ng 800-pesos worth of meds, and was billed P1,700 for lab fees! Geesh!
After settling the bill, nilinaw ko na kay Ate Mhely. It was almost 1am when I left her pero hindi pa siya nagla-lunch nu’n despite my insistence that she take a break at one of the cafeterias downstairs. Sabi niya sa telepono nu’ng una ko siyang nakausap eh uminom naman siya ng gatas from my fridge. At kumagat din siya sa brownies na naandu’n.
Ayun. Nag-collapse.
Conversations with Ate Mhely
Kanina I woke up with my first hangover in a very, very looong time (Tantiya ko, 1998 pa’ko last nagkaganitong hangover). Malakas kasi ako uminom pa minsan pero hindi talaga ako ‘yung tipong hina-hangover. Nakakatulong siguro ‘yung laging meron akong 1.5L bottle ng Gatorade sa ref para pag-uwi ko from inuman, tutungga muna ako ng pang-rehydrate bago matulog. Dehydration daw kasi ang number cause ng hangover.
Ang maganda sa gising ko, nadatnan ko na si Ate Mhely na naglilinis sa condo. Kaninang madaling araw, laseng galing P2, ay nabilin ko pa sa lobby na darating siya. Hindi ko na rin ni-lock ang pinto para papasok na lang siya para masimulan na ang trabaho nang hindi ako ginigising. Hindi basta cleaning lady si Ate Mhely. She became our yaya when she was only thirteen years old, a chubby teener from the province. Nang nakapag-asawa, nabiyuda, at nag-asawa ulit ay napakarami nang kasambahay na pumalit sa kanya, pero si Ate Mhely talaga ang pamantayan ng kasambahay na talagang minahal kami at minahal namin.
Ang kuwentuhan namin, reminiscing about our years in Marikina. I was still a baby nu’ng una siyang dumating so may mga alam pa siya sa pamilya namin na hindi ako aware. Nu’ng napasambit ako ng motto kong “I’m a Baby,” for example, natawa siya dahil hindi pa rin daw nawawala ‘yun. Apparently, bata pa lang talaga ako ay nasimulan ko nang sambit-sabitin ang “I’m a Baby!”
Naalala rin niya nu’ng bata raw ako sabi ko hindi ako magkukuripot, I vowed daw na aalis ako ng bahay, yayaman para hindi na’ko kakain ng gulay at saluyot. Ngayon, nakabukod na’ko, nakakakain sa mga restaurant, pero the best pa rin for me ang home-cooked saluyot with labong at pinakbet ng mommy monster ko.
Nako-compare pa niya kami sa mga pamangkin ko. Si DJ raw ang pinakakamukha ko - malaki rin ang tenga hehe. Si Justin naman madaldal na tulad ko. Kapag naririnig pa niyang kinakausap ni Justin ang mga laruan niya, naaalala raw niya ang Kuya Ryan ko na ganu’ng-ganu’n din daw noon.
Tumanda at slightly pumayat na si Ate Mhely ngayon pero kanina, habang nagpe-prepare akong pumasok sa gitna ng paglilinis niya, naramdaman kong may nag-aalaga sa’kin, may concerned, may ibang tao sa bahay ko na masarap kakuwentuhan. I felt loved.
Ang maganda sa gising ko, nadatnan ko na si Ate Mhely na naglilinis sa condo. Kaninang madaling araw, laseng galing P2, ay nabilin ko pa sa lobby na darating siya. Hindi ko na rin ni-lock ang pinto para papasok na lang siya para masimulan na ang trabaho nang hindi ako ginigising. Hindi basta cleaning lady si Ate Mhely. She became our yaya when she was only thirteen years old, a chubby teener from the province. Nang nakapag-asawa, nabiyuda, at nag-asawa ulit ay napakarami nang kasambahay na pumalit sa kanya, pero si Ate Mhely talaga ang pamantayan ng kasambahay na talagang minahal kami at minahal namin.
Ang kuwentuhan namin, reminiscing about our years in Marikina. I was still a baby nu’ng una siyang dumating so may mga alam pa siya sa pamilya namin na hindi ako aware. Nu’ng napasambit ako ng motto kong “I’m a Baby,” for example, natawa siya dahil hindi pa rin daw nawawala ‘yun. Apparently, bata pa lang talaga ako ay nasimulan ko nang sambit-sabitin ang “I’m a Baby!”
Naalala rin niya nu’ng bata raw ako sabi ko hindi ako magkukuripot, I vowed daw na aalis ako ng bahay, yayaman para hindi na’ko kakain ng gulay at saluyot. Ngayon, nakabukod na’ko, nakakakain sa mga restaurant, pero the best pa rin for me ang home-cooked saluyot with labong at pinakbet ng mommy monster ko.
Nako-compare pa niya kami sa mga pamangkin ko. Si DJ raw ang pinakakamukha ko - malaki rin ang tenga hehe. Si Justin naman madaldal na tulad ko. Kapag naririnig pa niyang kinakausap ni Justin ang mga laruan niya, naaalala raw niya ang Kuya Ryan ko na ganu’ng-ganu’n din daw noon.
Tumanda at slightly pumayat na si Ate Mhely ngayon pero kanina, habang nagpe-prepare akong pumasok sa gitna ng paglilinis niya, naramdaman kong may nag-aalaga sa’kin, may concerned, may ibang tao sa bahay ko na masarap kakuwentuhan. I felt loved.
