Baby Jorel: Our Superman in a Better Place

If you were given a few months to live, how would you live it? -- I would live my life the way my 3-month old pamangkin did: To be a miracle.

When baby Jorel was brought home after 3 weeks incubation at the hospital, we knew that he was fragile due to premature birth. He was the opposite of the fictional Superman. Yet he was the strongest person I've finally met -- and the most sincere in giving smiles, as if saying "Hi tito, nice to meet you. I love you too." If he was in pain, he never showed it and indulged himself in the pleasure of drinking milk instead. We would often tease him, "pataba ka baby
ah" and he would flash a broken smile something between laughter and whining.

Last Friday, Ate tet (baby Jorel's mom) was happier than usual. Baby baby Jorel is getting a bit fatter and his legs and feet were chubbier. Sadly, the happiness was temporary; As it turns out, baby Jorel's lower body was starting to swell: a symptom of kidney failure. He was rushed in the hospital that evening and was confined under medical observation. Next thing we knew, he was having trouble breathing and wasn't urinating properly -- then blood donors were needed and tests were made; yet no clear indications on what would happen next.

Last Monday, we visited baby Jorel while he was being tended by nurses and a doctor. The doctor's face was painted with bad news. Either baby Jorel's kidney was blocked or it wasn't formed well due to premature birth, she later confessed. It's either surgery or dialysis.

That evening, right after trying to celebrate Jody's birthday, Ate tet went home to packed some clothes. baby Jorel was scheduled for surgery in Pampanga.

The doctors will remove the water in his kidney to stop the clogging until they could figure out what was wrong. With financial and emotional turmoil, ate Tet remained calm as she broke the news.

Jody and I went to the hospital just before they took baby Jorel to Pampanga. He was asleep and was playing with his bubbling saliva. I sat beside him as I fumble his small foot. I watched him silently as he enhaled troubled breaths so as to pop larger bubbles of saliva. It's a wonder how at a troubled time, a baby can calm you down with his playful sleep. I never thought It would be the last time I would see baby Jorel alive.

They took baby Jorel that evening after being halted by bureaucratic settlement of fees and documents.

The surgery took place yesterday at 4pm. I got a message from ate that the surgery was succesful and baby Jorel was taken to the recovery area. But as we were about to find relief, messages started sounding bad. Baby Jorel's lungs were giving up and he was developing pulmonary problems.

By early morning we were all waiting for more news -- but the grave news we did not want to hear came by 4am. I learned about it as I woke up this morning, only to be hugged by my silently crying mother. I cried back knowing that our miracles just ended too.

Miracles do happen, and I'm glad that it happened to us for a few months in our bundle of joy.

----
Thank you for all the concerns, the financial support, the ears for listening, and for praying. I'm sure baby Jorel is in a better place without pain by now.

Thank you po.