Second chance

Do you believe in a second chance, in a second life?

When I was young I believed there were no such things. I do believe in God, as well as in life after death, but I found the idea of having the chance to live for a second time ridiculous. You only live once—that was what I used to think. I never expected that one event in my life will change this belief.

It was the third day of August, my birth month, in 2010 when I began running a fever. We all thought it was a simple fever, brought on by fatigue or the unpredictable weather. I even insisted on going to school because it would be my first time to join the intramurals.

But after three days my temperature rose to 40 degrees and I started bleeding. There were bloodstains in my stool and urine. My parents suspected dengue because it was rampant during that time of the year. But I wouldn’t believe it. I had read so many reports on dengue patients dying, and I had to keep myself from being frightened.

My parents decided to take me to our family doctor in the nearby town. She first performed a tourniquet test to check for a rash. There was none, and waves of relief washed through me. Still, the doctor ordered a blood examination.

We proceeded to a diagnostic center where, within minutes, the medical technician handed us the results: I had dengue. My platelet count was only 80.

My parents did not hesitate to take me to the hospital two towns away. I could barely walk when we got there, I could barely recognize anyone or anything because I felt my surroundings spinning. Another blood exam was made: My platelet count had dropped to 59.

Being confined in a hospital was not easy, what with the IV drips and injections, and especially because I was aware that every day I spent in that nice, air-conditioned room cost almost P5,000. All I could do was lie in bed, watch television, eat (limited kinds of food), and sleep.

After two days the doctor said that my platelet count was only 18 and that I needed a blood transfusion. Hearing those words, I felt tears streaming down my face. Fear and hopelessness filled my heart.

Three bags of blood were transfused, but my condition did not get any better. That was when I believed that it was the end for me. I surrendered myself to God. I saw my parents and siblings crying, but I told them not to because maybe it was God’s plan for me. I was so glad when my classmates and some relatives came to visit. I thought it was the last time I would see them.

But it was not my time. Two days after the transfusion my platelet count returned to normal. The next day the doctor said I could go home. I celebrated my 14th birthday happily.

I did not think I would survive that struggle. I did not think God would give me another chance to live life, to be with the people I value most, to realize my dreams.

I am so thankful to Him. Now I am living that second chance, full of faith, full of trust, full of enthusiasm. I know that this is the last chance I’ll have, so I won’t waste it. God gave me this second life, and there is nothing to do but live it right.

Zarrel Gel Noza, 17, is a development communication sophomore at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.