New Picture from Cely

From: Cely
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Subject: BRiTA Futures training team photo

Message:

Hello,

Training we had in Brisbane on "Building Resiliency in Transcultural Australia"
BRITA esp. geared for young people from diverse cultural background. As expected, we will hold workshops back to our own community, and in my case to have it in Townsville.

Taken in June 2008.

Cheers,
Cely

Updates: June 2008

1. Cely forwarded pictures and an e-mail from Maryanne last June 17:
   

   Maryanne, June 2008

2. Papa's Birthday was last June 28.
• Tessie bought ingredients for pancit, fried chicken, fruit salad and spaghetti ... we just cooked the pancit and I stuffed and baked the chicken instead of cutting it up and frying it.
• Cely called to greet Papa
• Edith e-mailed her and Willy's greetings
• Loloy e-mailed his greetings...after failing to get in contact by phone
• Uncle Vic e-mailed his birthday greetings June 29
• Sal sent her greetings on June 30 ... hoping Papa is on his feet and telling us to get some money from her account and celebrate (sadly, Papa hasn't been on his two feet yet)

Bringing my Dad to the Asian Hospital

The moment Willy learned that Papa had been bed-ridden for a month, he wanted us to check him into a hospital. Edith's nephew Edwin knows a doctor at the Asian Hospital. He arranged for Papa to have a check up at the said hospital. Willy and Edith sent some money to Edwin for the check-up.

Before this was arranged, Jon was planning to bring our father to Makati Med which has the equipment he wanted at a lower price compared to St. Luke's. Papa wanted to be in St. Luke's because that's where my uncle is... although at his age, he probably doesn't practice anymore and is most likely busy being a mentor and doing other stuff related to being that hospital's Assistant Medical Director for Professional Services (one of those would be talking and making amends with patients that have complaints against the hospital or its doctors - so that they don't have to go to court). His son, my cousin Gus, who's also a doctor in that hospital, wouldn't be much help to my dad either because he is an opthalmologist.

I had thought we would bring my dad to Asian Hospital on May 1, but after Jon called Edwin, we learned that the check-up was scheduled for May 2.

On the trip back to Marco Polo hotel from Eden Nature Park, I texted Jon to ask about the check-up. I expected that my dad would stay in the hospital overnight, but Jon told me that they brought him home yesterday too. Jon told me that he brought Papa to another laboratory first for a "work-up" before bringing him to Asian Hospital.

The cardiologist Edwin referred, whose age is within 40-50 and therefore should have more experience than Jon, had the same assessment and opinion of management of Papa as Jon had...even to the massaging of Papa's legs ... which Edith said might be dangerous as she has seen some old people bursting a vein this way (she is a nurse). Jon had Papa's knee x-rayed beforehand in a Las Pinas lab as he suspects that the pain Papa is feeling is mostly caused by arthritis.

I felt better knowing that my father didn't have a more serious condition.