Chickens, Eggs & Resiliency

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

One day, I was talking with Ms. Lira, our social worker, about a good patient story to feature this month. She mentioned the typical scenarios: patients who are in pain, patients who have sad family backgrounds… and a patient who takes care of chickens.

Now, this was something that tickled my inquisitive mind, so I ended up asking her to repeat that statement. She mentioned that we have a patient who takes care of nine chickens. A small business perhaps… was my initial impression. But no. This 42-year old patient suffers from liver cirrhosis, which is a condition in which the liver slowly fails and breaks down due to chronic injury; scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. I knew that I had to get to bottom of this.

Our patient showing off some of his chickens. He has ascites, which is the excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Nothing good comes easy. Raising chickens in itself involves time, effort and creativity, especially if you plan to raise them in your backyard. Like most animals, you have to feed them and give them fresh water daily for them to live well and treat you right. Treating you right, in the sense that they will supply you with decent eggs.

Why does this patient need chicken eggs in the first place? You see, when a patient has advanced liver cirrhosis their diet becomes a major role in the management of the condition. The patient’s protein intake must be increased, because protein is essential for the liver to repair itself and function to the best of its ability. That’s where the egg whites come into the picture.

Since eggs are not as cost-efficient as they used to, the best way to have a fresh supply daily would be to have your own chickens to provide it for you. Since our patient has been sick for the past couple of years, his children have been supporting him financially. As a good father, his desire is to lighten the load they carry.

Smart move, right?

He has not given up being a responsible father amidst his board-like abdomen, edema and current condition. So yes, as the cliché goes, Filipinos are resilient. And I can say that our patient has portrayed that virtue.

Love is Breathing Hope

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

I believe that people in the good ole days never imagined that we would have to pay for the basics in life. We pay a good amount of money to drink potable water. About 25 pesos per liter, depending on the brand. If your palate is selective and craves for artisan water, then you’d be paying more for a bottle of water than a liter of gasoline for your car. There used to be this joke about having to pay for air one of these days. But did you know that some people have to literally pay to breathe?

We have a 43-year old female patient who is diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Failure and TB Bronchiectasis. She has a tracheotomy tube and is dependent on oxygen. Day in and day out, the air we take for granted is the air they have to acquire for her to live. Despite this condition, she thanks God. She thanks God for a supportive family; for a husband who cares for and loves her; for her children who help her out in their free time after school; for each stranger who gives financial aid; for friends she has made along the way. She is thankful because through the midst of her condition, she is still loved.

There have been clinical studies in 2011 (Fredrickson), which according to the author, when people open their hearts to positive emotions, they seed their own growth in ways that transform them for the better. *

Love is in the air that she breathes in…Love is in the air she breathes out. For every breath, there is hope. Hope to make a difference in someone else’s life. Their family has been active in supporting fundraising activities (like benefit concerts, since her husband’s friends are band members), not only for her, but also for other patients who need medical aid.

*The complete clinical study is found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156028/

August 2015 Featured Volunteer: Malou Javier

TRF’s Volunteer of the Month for August 2015 is retired teacher Marilou “Malou” Javier.

Q&A with MALOU

How did you come to volunteer for TRF?

Last summer, I searched for a non-government organization (NGO)  via Internet to find an institution where I can serve in Christian missions.  Incidentally, I had a chat with Ms. Michal Pasaporte, an on-line friend, who happened to be my former student in the School of Tomorrow (SOT) Philippines.  She was the channel of blessing who gave me knowledge about TRF.  I admire this organization and got interested to apply personally as a volunteer.

What were your expectations as a volunteer?

My expectations were to be able to spend my time meaningfully in Christian missions, especially to orphans and widows and to learn new things of giving tender loving care to the elderly and patients with cancer.

Describe the activities you volunteered for, and why did you choose them?

Actually, I was willing to do any activity that is related to teaching, guidance, and things spiritual in nature because of my background in psychology and education. I like how TRF puts to work the ‘Happy Room’ Projects.  Maybe someday, I will share in the gardening efforts aside from doing spiritual things like praying and giving encouragement.

What are your key reflections/lessons? How has the experience changed your life?

Life is short and death is certain.  Therefore, seize every opportunity to do things that really matter.   Spell love as T-I-M-E.  I salute family members of patients who put high priority on being with their loved ones in moments when they need palliative care.

Faith is the substance of things we hope for.  When we pray, we humble ourselves to our Creator.  We depend on Him for ultimate healing.   

Communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally.  I learned that while massage is considered a luxury to some; it is an essential touch to people who need comfort.

Encourage other people to volunteer, to help in any good way.  It is a way of giving thanks and allowing one’s self to be a blessing to others.

My experience with TRF has led me to more lessons on patience, appreciating the medical field (Doctors and other medical practitioners are interesting. I think I need to learn some of their jargon), and commitment to a prayerful life.  It changed my life from being frantic to being at peace and being totally present where I am, taking time to listen carefully.

Thank you Malou!

When Hospice Hits Home

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

A tribute for those who serve in Hospice Care with loved ones who are still in the race and for those family members who have already finished it.

Love begins at home and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in that action. -Mother Theresa

People who serve in Hospice Care have learned the best tricks of the trade. You can ask any of our doctors, nurses, therapists and volunteers about their best practices. They will give you accurate hands-on- experience answers. They are driven by passionately helping other people. People who they used to call strangers, now have a soft-spot in their hearts. They are now driven to help because of having that special connection between caregiver and care recipient. Some may even call it an act of love, in a way.

But how do these people handle hospice care when it hits home? You tend to be confident in the way that you care for strangers, but when a life-limiting illness creeps inside the door of your home…it’s a new story.

Family members have a habit of being your greatest skeptics. You know that you were trained for this, yet they doubt you, being their son/daughter/ wife/ husband/ etc.. A great way would be to involve other people in the hospice team, to assist in giving instructions and maybe leading a family conference to make sure that everybody is on the same page.

Learn to listen (professionally).  Listen to your loved one as though they weren’t related. Try to push aside thoughts on how they never really listened to you while growing up, or thoughts on how they weren’t as great in taking care of you when you had the stomach flu in 8thgrade. Listen to their silent calls for help. You know their personal cues and now would be the best time to use those cues to help them. Being genuinely happy to help makes a difference and lessens the thoughts of them being an encumbrance.

Take time to breathe. You need to accept the fact that you are not a superhero with unlimited energy levels. It’s OK to feel drained (physically/emotionally) for a while. Asking for help is not a weakness. Remember, you have to take care of yourself too.

The Story of Teamwork

Written By: Mikee Pasaporte

We can’t help everyone. But everyone can help someone.”-Ronald Reagan

We have a 57-year old patient who is diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She lives alone and has been branded to be “difficult to live with”. She keeps things in place and if you move anything out of order, she gets overly agitated.

She used to beg in front of a major mall in Dasmariñas City, where the TRF team found her in 2013, since she couldn’t find a job because of her condition. When her cancer worsened, she couldn’t stay on the streets for too long. She was then home bound. Being non-ambulatory and relying on the kindness of others, she verbalizes being helpless. Helpless but not hopeless. She shows her determination to be independent as much as she can.

Most of her siblings have given up on her. Most of her neighbors are turned off by her. The little world she has created around her is limited to a handful of people, which our team has the privilege to be a part of.

Our nurses and volunteers give her baths and assists her with activities of daily living. She enjoys painting as art therapy. We want to do so much, but the most that we can do is visit once a week, perhaps twice at the very most. That’s when it came to the realization that we had to “expand” our team. Expand, in the sense that we had to tap different agencies to assist this patient.

She can be alone, but she doesn’t need to be lonely.

The medical team, with our social worker, went the extra mile to call out and empower the community. They gave basic lectures on caring, first aid and the like for free. In exchange, the barangay visits her frequently to take out her trash and even brings cooked meals for her. The City Social Welfare and Development office of Dasmariñas provide her with diapers. The City health office now gives free wound cleaning materials while the local barangay health office sends over community nurses to clean her wounds on days when our team isn’t there to assist her.

I believe that our patient’s world has now grown. The next step is to make her realize that though she was turned down by those she expected to help, more than a handful of people outside her circle are willing to lend their hands to care.