Hindi na hinintay pa magising ni Sojiro ang asawang si Grace kinaumagahan. Alam niyang pagod ito dahil siya ang dahilan ng pagka-pagod nito kagabi. Matapos nilang makarating dito sa Japan ay sa bahay niya silang dalawa tumuloy, she knew his house because she has been here a lot of times. Dito ito madalas tumuloy kapag kailangan niya itong isama sa mga trip niya dito sa Japan. Para silang bagong kasal na dalawa kagabi, they can't get enough to each other. Lalo na siya na ilang beses at paulit-ulit talaga itong inangkin pagka-uwi nila. Wala siyang ibang iniisip kung hindi sana ay mabuntis niya na ito at sana nga talaga ay makabuo na silang dalawa.
Shinbashi hospital..
"You need a proper medication Sojiro, and you can't avoid this if you want to have a longer life." 'Yon ang sabi ng nephrologist na doktor na si Doctor Kobayashi, pagkakita niya pa lang kanina dito ay alam niyang may mali sa pangangatawan ng pasyente niya. Kaya naman pinauna niyang ipagawa dito ang mga test na tinutukoy niya kahapon habang kausap ito sa video call. And actually he was surprised seeing him today. Lalo pa at alam niyang nasa Pilipinas nga ito kahapon gaya ng sabi nito.
"But I will not die right? shinitakunai." Ani ni Sojiro, this is not what he want. Ayaw na ayaw niya talagang nagpupunta siya sa doktor at ospital dahil pakiramdam niya ay hinihigop ang energy na mero'n siya. But he need this too, hindi niya puwedeng ipagsa-walang bahala ang kung anong nararamdaman niya.
"I can't say that for now; let's wait for the result of your medical exam from my secretary." Sabi ng doktor, kaninang umaga niya 'yon ipinagawa kay Sojiro at after lunch naman ang appointment nito sa kanya. Alport syndrome is a genetic syndrome characterized by a genetic disease that damages the kidneys' tiny blood vessels called glomeruli, which filter the blood. It also involves hearing loss and eye abnormalities. "I wish you had done what I said to you 6 months ago, but seeing you now, I know you didn't follow my advice."
Hindi nakakibo si Sojiro sa sinabing 'yon ng kaharap. Paano sa nakalipas na anim na buwan ay may mga araw talagang umiinom siya ng alak kahit bawal naman na sa kanya 'yon. Isa kasi 'yon sa bilin sa kanya noong huling magpa-check up siya sa doktor na ito. Sometimes he has blood in his urine, called hematuria, but he has only experienced this five times in the past few months. People like him who have Alport syndrome develop high levels of protein in their urine, and his kidneys gradually lose their ability to efficiently remove waste products from his body due to kidney disease. There are still occasions when he eats meat, and sometimes it’s two to three times a week that might triggered more his Alport.
"You're still young, and I hope we can still manage your Alport syndrome, Sojiro, but you said earlier that you are becoming sensitive to light. So it means if we do not do anything now, you might lose your sight."
Doon naman kinabahan si Sojiro sa narinig, oo alam niya ang tungkol doon dahil personal din naman siyang nag-research tungkol sa sakit niya. If you have alport syndrome you might lose your sight and hearing, at ayaw niya 'yon siyempre mangyari. Dahil kung mangyayari sa kanya ang gano'n o kung mabubulag siya o mabibingi ay para na din walang saysay ang buhay niya. Pero ang pinagtataka niya lang ay wala namang ganitong sakit ang magulang niya. Pero dahil sinikreto niya nga ang tungkol dito ay hindi ito alam ng kanyang ama. Kaya hindi din niya matanong kung mero'n ba sa pamilya nila o sa side ng ama niya na may ganitong uri ng sakit.
Ilang sandali pa ang hinintay nila ay dumating na ang sekretarya ni Doctor Kobayashi bitbit ang result na pinagawa niya kay Sojiro kaninang umaga. Agad tiningnan ng doktor 'yon at binasa at tama nga siya sa sinabi kanina. His disease worsened.
"So what the result Doc?" Hindi na makapag-hintay pa na tanong ni Sojiro, kapag ganito kasi ay parang lalabas ang puso niya sa kaba. Dahil kahit nakikita siya ng ibang tao na malakas at animo'y walang problema ay sa totoo lang takot din siya. Takot siya mamatay dahil marami pa siyang gustong gawin sa buhay, he still want to have a child. Anak na magmamana ng kung ano mang mga ari-arian na pinag-hirapan niya.
"Some of your results were okay, but some of them were not. Your creatinine level is high, and I already told you that your disease doesn't have a specific medication or treatment. But our goal now is to manage and help with the progression of your kidney disease."
"So what I'm going to do now?" Kung may problema siguradong may solusyon doon, at 'yon ang laging sinasaisip ni Sojiro. He can't die yet, dahil baka sakalin pa siya ni Grace oras na malaman nito ang tungkol sa sakit niya at kung bakit nakipag-usap siya dito na kailangan niyang magkaroon ng anak sa lalong madaling panahon kapalit ng pera na pinag-usapan nila.
"I strongly suggest that you have stem cell therapy; this will help replace specialized kidney cells called podocytes, which surround the capillary blood vessels. You can have this here in Japan, or in any country you prefer. However, I suggest you consider having it here or in Singapore."
Tumango-tango si Sojiro, he heard about stem cell therapy before. Ito 'yong ginagawa ng mayayaman kung saan tinuturukan sila para mas lalong humaba ang buhay nila. Pero may iba pa palang puwedeng pag-gamutan no'n. "What else Doc?"
"You must have a healthy diet if you want to live longer; you must eat less meat and less salt. Avoid food with salt substitutes made with potassium. Include other flavor-enhancing spices in your meals instead of salt. However, I am more worried about your sight, so I will suggest that you have a check-up with an ophthalmologist."
"So you mean I might lose my sight? And I will get blind?"
"I can't say no, and I can't say yes now. But you have the symptoms, so maybe if you don't get treated, you might really lose your sight, Sojiro." Pinal na sabi ng doktor.
