Bantay Story

I was standing near the ACU Extension entrance giving my last few instructions to a 'bantay', when he said,  alam niyo doc, dito na-confine ang anak ko bago siya namatay sa bahay.

All the while, I was charting some patients, seeing referrals, having conversations with residents and endorsements, making prescriptions, helping my patients budget their money, extracting blood - it was the first statement out of that routine.  It's interesting.  This man, who barely knows me, is sharing a personal, intimate matter.  For lack of a person to talk to, I suppose.  But why to an intern who runs around and around the hospital?  

So he goes, pero tanggap ko na, masakit minsan.  

It was the first time he stepped inside the PGH ER again after two years - after that very sad day when he decided to go home with his daughter who had biliary atresia.  They stayed at the Pedia ER for a month, hoping that a less invasive intervention could work.  But it didn't.  And nothing that we knew then or know now ever will, except for very expensive procedure.

So that day, he volunteered to accompany a co-worker to PGH, since he knows his way around the hospital.  He felt it was the right thing to do, despite the fact that it was kind of painful to be back at PGH.  Indeed, life was a lot easier for me because he was very reliable.  As soon as he was finished with the stuff he had to do for his patient, he went to the Pedia Dept.  He thanked the doctors who attended to his daughter.  He told me, alam ko namang ginawa nila lahat.

He went to his patient after, checked for his needs, then sat on the floor at the corner - an inconspicuous space at the ACU-Ext where he slept.  He is a good man.  I pray that God grant him enough strength and capacity to help more people.