The Great Escape

Kabanata 10

Kabanata 10

Between the lines

Weeks passed and my condition didn't get better. I was getting worse day after day, I dropped out of school.

The only good thing that happened to me was the removal of my CPAP. I managed to breathe on my own. Though sometimes, usually at night, I needed assistance to be able to breathe properly as I sleep.

Mag-isa lang ako sa kwarto ngayon dahil kinailangang umuwi ni Mommy. Nagkaproblema kasi sa business at may pupuntahan siyang lugar pagkatapos magbihis sa bahay.

Kanina, nandito si Nurse Marie para samahan ako pero dahil hindi na siya nakaduty at kinailangan na niyang umuwi, mag-isa na lang ako. May exams din kasi ang mga kabanda ko kaya busy sila sa pag-aaral kahit gabi. And I totally understand them.

I was about to close my eyes when the door opened suddenly. A silhouette of a man entered my room and I was starting to get nervous.

Malabo kasi na isa siya sa mga lalaki sa banda dahil sinabihan nila ako sa group chat na busy silang lahat.

"Pasyente ka na ulit?"

Then I recognized his voice. Ano na naman ang ginagawa niya rito?

Dahan-dahan akong umahon sa pagkakahiga at inabot ang bedside lamp para sindihan. Nang lumiwanag ay naaninag ko ang nakangising labi ni Ephraim.

"Bakit ka nandito?"

"Sayang. Akala ko tulog ka. You're suppose to be my third victim," he chuckled.

Namilog ang mata ko. Wow. Balak niya pang gawin sa akin 'yon? At hindi pa siya tumitigil kahit na nahuli ko na siya noon? That was months ago!

"You're still at it?"

"Yup."

"Why?" I asked, medyo tumataas na naman ang boses.

"It's fun. Sinabi ko na sa 'yo noon."

I rolled my eyes at him. Inayos ko ang duvet na nakatakip mula paa hanggang bewang ko. When I lifted my head, he was already sitting on the stool beside my bed.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. "Wag ka nga nanggugulat!"

"I didn't."

"At least don't move in silence! At saka bakit nandito ka pa?" I asked when he didn't move. "It's already late and the patients in the cancer ward were probably asleep. You should go home."

Iginala niya ang paningin sa kabuuan ng kwarto ko. May ilang nakakalat na libro sa sahig at ang mga bags ng chips na binili nila kanina ay medyo nakalabas pa sa basurahan.

My room was plain. Kahit na matagal-tagal na akong nandito, ganoon pa rin ang itsura sa kung ano talaga ito. And as I stay inside my room for weeks, I slowly accepted that I'm never going to get better.

This fatal disease has no cure. Name-maintain ko lang ang sarili dahil sa iniinom na gamot at mga therapy. Na minsan ay mas nagpapahirap pa sa akin dahil sa mga side effect.

ALS affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements such as walking and talking. ALS causes the motor neurons to gradually deteriorate, and then die.

Motor neurons extend from the brain to the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. When motor neurons are damaged, they stop sending messages to the muscles, so my muscles can't function.

Sabi sa akin ni Mommy, wala sa pamilya namin ang mayroong ALS. Kaya yung risk factor that ALS is inherited in 5% to 10% of people, wala ako no'n.

And researchers continue to study possible causes of ALS. Most theories center on a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors such as smoking and environmental toxin exposure.