Be that kind

#Pansit

“Dok, huwag ka nang umalis!” A senior couple had come to pay a surprise visit to a young physician who was about to leave for further training in vascular surgery. One of them had been a patient of his whom he had operated on for an aneurysm. Deeply touched by the gesture, grateful, and happy to see his patient doing well, he worried about what they had to go through after they apologized that they could not come sooner to thank him, as both the cost of transportation together with the pansit and kakanin they had gifted him with, they had to save up for.

#Kundoktor

“Sino ang gustong sumakay, biyaheng Shangri-La mall!” A friend happened to bring her huge loaf of a van to fetch her sister from their office. It was raining furiously and a crowd had piled up at the entrance. From the look on their faces, it was obvious that they were resigned to a long wait. Traffic was at a standstill and it was quite a distance to the nearest public transport.

One played driver, the other, a van conductor. Both were more than ready to give a free ride. After dropping off their passengers, from an initial euphoria of having been girl scouts, they were abruptly brought back to earth on their momentary amnesia over the issue of safety. How can one entertain such a thought they asked, when all that space could be shared and the intention was for the good?

#Tyan

“Hello, bakit ka nandito?” I stooped down to engage a little boy in a conversation. Patiently sitting on the edge of a plant box, he looked at his mother to seek permission to speak to me. His stomach was visibly distended as if nine months pregnant and his skin, especially on his lower legs, was riddled with hyperpigmented lesions intermixed with fresh new ones. Thinking it was either a nephrologic condition or a solid organ malignancy, I asked his mother. She handed over some papers which included a CT scan report which showed two possibilities: tuberculosis versus lymphoma. Further workup was needed which included a gastrointestinal referral. Probing further, the child was treated in a provincial government hospital for tuberculosis a year and a half ago. In the interval, they had sought help from people engaged in nontraditional medicine. The condition had steadily progressed so they decided to make the trip to the city to seek another opinion. To say they were at a loss would be putting it mildly.

It was past seven in the evening, the clinics were closed and the line to the social service was long. Mulling on how best to help, I happened to turn around and was more than pleasantly surprised that a few steps away was a pediatric gastroenterologist, a pillar in the medical circle. She readily and graciously acceded to my request and with quick, deft, gentle, and kind hands proceeded to examine the patient. The hospital lobby instantly became a venue for a family conference where possibilities were discussed, misconceptions corrected, and a final plan was laid out. Fortunately, she knew of a colleague in their area who was affiliated with the same government hospital wherein the patient was previously treated. Half of the problem was solved.

That hastily assembled circle was composed of two specialists, a mother, a grandmother, a little boy needing immediate medical attention, and an invisible Divine being who had orchestrated the course of events. Maybe He decided to make His presence felt and providing such an experience was meant to give each and everyone in that sphere answers to whatever it was they must have been looking for. While it was specifically intended to provide the family medical guidance, whether consciously realized or not, it was brought on for a higher purpose: to reaffirm that people are still inherently good, that there were still many belonging to that kind, and God answers prayers even before you ask.

These three stories are not rare occurrences, meant to remind all of us of the importance of putting value in sincere and real human interaction and awareness of the responsibility that each one has to play in any given situation, duty-bound or not. Oftentimes, we hold back in giving or sharing, thinking that whatever gesture we make may not be enough to make a difference. It pays to constantly remember that what may be simple from your perspective may be life-changing for another. As you truly give of yourself, you gain more than a millionfold. If we are wondering how we can contribute to a much-needed cure for a currently ill society, maybe it’s best we start looking inward and work toward being of that kind.

[email protected]