Father, son carry sick mother on makeshift hammock to bring her to hospital

In Hamtic, Antique, a man would carry his 41-year-old sick wife on a makeshift hammock with the help of their 15-year-old son so they could bring her to the hospital for her dialysis.

According to an episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” Sunny, the father, and Karl Loyze, the 15-year-old son, would walk for half an hour carrying Arlene, who had difficulty walking as she battled a chronic kidney disease.

They would tie each end of a blanket on a 10-foot bamboo pole to create the “tuwang-tuwang,” where Arlene would sit or lie down while the two men carried her.

According to Karl Loyze and Sunny, their house is far from the highway and the tuwang-tuwang is the fastest way for them to get to the scheduled dialysis. In their community, the use of tuwang-tuwang is not new.

To reach the hospital, they have to go down slippery paths, walk through mud, and cross a brook.

When they finally get to the highway after almost an hour of walking, they would ride a tricycle and travel 17 kilometers to get to the hospital.

Arlene had diabetes which later developed into a chronic kidney disease. Because of this, Arlene has been undergoing dialysis for four years now.

Even though the travel is tiring and risky, Sunny and Karl Loyze persevere with bringing Arlene to her dialysis treatment twice a week.

The most dangerous part, said the two men, was traveling back home once it gets dark.

“Dapat kahit na maulan, kahit na bumabagyo, tuloy pa rin namin iyong pag-dialysis kasi kung hindi namin susundin ‘yung schedule ng hospital, may special dialysis ‘yun kasi mahal iyong bayad (Even if there’s a storm, we have to bring her to the hospital. Because if we don’t follow the hospital’s schedule, she’ll need a special dialysis and that’s much more expensive),” he said.

With her disease now in stage 3, Arlene said, “Parang ’yung inisip mo na pabigat ka sa kanila kasi dapat nag-e-enjoy sila e kaso lang ayan, may sakit ka (Sometimes you think you’re just a burden to them because they should be enjoying their lives instead but now they have to care for you too).”

The road worth conquering

Arlene revealed that there were many times she almost lost her life, but she soldiered on for her four children.

Unfortunately, her eldest son, Karl, inherited the disease. However, seeing his mother’s condition pushed the 20-year-old consistent honor student, to do better at school.

“’Pag nakikita ko na grabe na ‘yung sakit niya, napapaisip akong pagbutihin pag-aaral kasi pag one day na mawala siya, at least meron na akong maitulong sa kapatid ko at mapag-aral sila (When I see how bad she’s suffering, I tell myself that I need to do better in school. So that I can help my siblings finish their studies),” said Karl.

“Kinakatakot ko na hindi ako makapagtapos ng pag-aaral tapos hindi ko maiahon sila sa kahirapan. Tapos bilang panganay alam ko na responsibilidad ko na pag-aralin iyong kapatid ko (One of my fears is that I won’t be able to finish school and help my family get out of poverty. As the eldest, I know I have the responsibility to send my siblings to school),” he added.

Meanwhile, Sunny said his income was not enough to cover both Arlene’s medicine costs and their living expenses.

“Kaya nga sabi ko sarili ko parang magi-give up ako (That’s why I told myself I feel like giving up),” he added, crying. “Iniisip ko lang ‘yun, pero dagdag problema din ‘yung kung aalis o iiwan ko sila. Kawawa ‘yung mga anak ( There are times when I wanted to give up. But I know that that will just make it harder for my children),” he added.

Sunny also expressed worry over the news that PhilHealth’s free dialysis would only be until September 15.

But Antique’s local government unit assured him that dialysis will remain free in their province.

To ease the parents’ worries, the local government also extended scholarships to the children, as well as assistance to Karl for his illness.

For those who want to help their family, please deposit to:

LANDBANK SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, ANTIQUE
ACCOUNT NAME: KARL AVON M. MANZANO
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0776 2515 26

– Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News