Binalikan ni Kuya Kim Atienza ang kaniyang naging laban sa pambihirang sakit na Guillain-Barre syndrome, kung saan gumastos siya ng P300,000 hanggang P500,000 kada araw sa gamutan. Bukod pa ito sa naranasang stroke.

Sa isang pulong balitaan, inihayag ni Kuya Kim na nakaranas siya ng stroke noong 2010, at sumunod naman ang Guillain-Barre syndrome noon 2013.

Bukod sa butas sa kaniyang puso, aminado si Kuya Kim na "terrible" rin ang naging lifestyle.

"For 12 years, I was in politics. In 2004, I shifted to television. When I got into television, I was so in love with the work. I was like at three or four shows. And one show is an early morning show," kuwento ng Kapuso host.

"I was so in love with the work and I thought the fitness that I had in the 80s would take it through. I used to be a body builder in the 80s. So akala ko, since fit naman ako nu'ng 80s, ngayon, nandiyan pa iyan, which is a fallacy. It's not true."

Hanggang sa dumating ang panahon na nakaranas siya ng stroke, na nakaapekto sa kaliwang frontal lobe ng kaniyang utak.

"Nothing happened to me physically. But my mind got erased, parang na-hard reset na computer," paglalarawan niya.

"But through God's grace, I was praying to the Lord and I made a deal with the Lord. I said, 'If you make me well, I will be the best Kim I can be. I will be the healthiest Kim I can be.' And He made me well."

Matapos daw ang tatlong araw, 70 porsyento nang recovered si Kuya Kim, ngunit kailangan niyang isailalim sa rehab ang 30 pang porsyento ng kaniyang katawan.

"So I became a runner, I became a cyclist, then I got back to swimming, then I became a triathlete. I did the part of my deal with the Lord."

Ngunit noong 2013, muli siyang nagkasakit at nagkaroon ng Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"It's a very rare disorder that affects 1 out of 200,000 people. The reason? Nobody knows the reason, but it causes total paralysis," paliwanag ni Kuya Kim. "So I felt the paralysis happening in my feet and then it happened in my hands."

"Being a stroke survivor, I went to my doctor and I told her, 'Is this another stroke that's happening, doc? Because I can't move my fingers and I cannot move my feet.'"

Ayon sa doktor, hindi biro ang gastusin sa pagpapagamot sa Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"The doctor told me, 'Kim, we know that you're of means, alam naman namin may kaya kayo eh. But we just want to let you know that it's going to be very expensive. The disease is self-limiting, but the medicine that we'll be using will be very expensive,'" kuwento ni Kuya Kim.

"Sabi ko, 'Doc, how expensive?'" tanong ng Kapuso host sa doktor.

"'One of these medicines is called IVIG or Immunoglobulin. It will cost... What's your weight ba, 155? About P300,000 to P500,000 a day,'" tugon sa kaniya ng kaniyang doktor. "Sabi ko, 'How many days, Doc?' 'Maybe around 10 days.'"

"So imagine, if you're a poor person and you get sick with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, you die. Because ultimately, your diaphragm gets paralyzed. When your diaphragm gets paralyzed, you're not able to breathe. When you're not able to breathe, you die."

 

Sa kaniyang pagpapagaling, kinailangan ni Kuya Kim na uminom ng Vitamin B complex para mapanatiling malusog ang nerves sa kaniyang katawan.

"After my GBS, I was required by the doctor to take Vitamin B complex. For a whole year, I was on very high dosage of Vitamin B complex for my nerves to get back to what it was. Because Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a nerve disorder. It's an autoimmune disease that affects the nerves."

Paliwanag ni Kuya Kim: "So 'yung immune system mo... Instead of attacking the virus, it attacks your nerves and your immune system will not stop until all your nerves are dead. That's why you end up paralyzed and you end up dead."

Payo ni Kim sa publiko, mainam pa rin na maging maagap at pangalagaan ang kalusugan para maiwasan ang mga malulubhang sakit.

"The best thing to do is be preventive. Before we get sick of anything that's nerve related, it's good that we supplement."

Umiiwas na raw ngayon si Kuya Kim sa mga pagkaing may mataas na glycemic index, o mga matatamis.

"What is a healthy lifestyle? Exercise and eating correct. Eating correct doesn't mean that you're hungry, but eating the correct kind of food that is good for your body... I make sure that I eat less of the bad food and more of the good food," payo ni Kuya Kim. --FRJ, GMA News