F A M I L Y

image source

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while hasn't it? I apologize to the few who actually read my content as I've got a lot of things on my mind recently which made me very unproductive.

FAMILY is one of the few things in this world that I cherish the most, I mean it should go without saying right? They were there when you were young and are still there even if you've messed up a hundred thousand times. That's why every time someone hurts any one of the members of my family I go into a super defensive mode and try my best to protect them. Probably right now what your thinking is i'm this some kind of goody two shoes child who listens to their parents or siblings all the time, but i'm sorry to disappoint you but you're WRONG.

image source

I'm the youngest of the family which means I get on my parents nerves the most with all the shenanigans I do, be it going home late from parties to failing my classes. So people find it hard to believe when I talk seriously about how much I care about my family.

Ugh.. I'm stalling so much as this is very hard for me to write.. Apologies again, anyway let's just get on with it.

image source

What's worse than someone hurting someone you love? Well, you could stop someone hurting someone you love but with sickness you feel so useless.

Recently, I got news that my dad was required to start undergoing dialysis as his kidney has already stopped working. I guess all those years drinking and smoking finally caught up to my dad, which I guess shouldn't have surprised me that much but...the news CRUSHED me. I broke down in tears when my mom told me the news over the phone. The fact that we were far from our parents made everything worst. I felt so helpless that time, didn't want to eat, work, basically anything... I just wanted to be with my dad, take care of him, be there for him...

I wanted to share some photos of my dad after the operation but still keep his identity private

As of that time all we (me and my brother) could do was just send money for the operations and hope for the best. The operation was two parts first was for his neck (short-term) and then his arm (long-term). For those who don't know, you can perform dialysis through the neck in emergency cases when the patient needs it but this is not a long-term solution. Both operations combined were costly for us as we're not the most financially stabled family to begin with, especially me as I was only working for a year, but I didn't care I sent all of the money I had just to make sure my dad got the best possible doctor around. Thankfully, both operations were successful and the doctor said that my dad could start undergoing normal dialysis twice a week every week. This was bittersweet and a big change for my dad as he lived a semi-active lifestyle where he would go to work then come home and spend time with us, but now unable to use his left arm due to the operation and the catheter sticking out of his neck he was forced to just stay at home and do nothing as early dialysis made him feel dizzy and weak.

Fast forward to December 20, 2017 where we were finally able to get on a plane and go home to Davao. I was so excited to finally be able to see my dad for the first time after dialysis and my mom of course who I know is having a hard time with the adjustments made as well. When we finally got home and as I opened the door to see my dad I was both sad and happy, sad to see him thinner than last time and to see his arm and neck, you guys wouldn't believe how hard I fought to not cry in front of him. At the same time I was super happy to see him!! He was still there, making jokes, healthier and stronger!! From Dec 20, 2017 - Jan 2, 2018, I think I only spent a day or two with friends and the rest was spent with family which for me was a big deal since I usually am not at home because I like to go out with friends. It was fun though, actually more fun than I expected, we were able to go to my aunts outing at the beach, made sliced bread pizzas, watch some movies and just hanged out. We also spent new year at my aunt's house which kinda became a tradition for us. What probably shocked me the most is that my dad was still able to play his favorite game of mahjong with my aunts and uncle, that really made me happy to see him actually play and have fun. Too much fun I guess because we weren't able to go home til' the next day! hahaha After new year it was time for us to go back for work, it was definitely the hardest among the other times to say goodbye as I didn't want to leave my dad and mom, but I know they have each other and I know they'll take care of each other because they really do love one another.

Now back at Cebu, My mind is a little clearer and I could sleep more soundly knowing that my dad and mom are doing just fine. Maybe that was all I really needed after all, to just be able to spend time with Family.

Thanks for reading and see you guys in the next one!

---