Shobe_CEO » To: Huey Sepulveda (May your soul now be free and joyous)

To: Huey Sepulveda (May your soul now be free and joyous)

March 17th, 2010

Last night, while passing by the corridors of the Ateneo Law, 3rd Floor, I noticed a picture of a boy posted on the bulletin board. There was a message along with it seemingly asking for some help. But I was so tired after class that I didn’t bother to read much the message and told myself I’ll read it later on my way to class. And just now, a message was sent to our batch’s yahoogroup saying that Huey Sepulveda, a grade six studeng of the Ateneo Grade School, just passed away due to Luekemia.

I felt horrible. I did a search on the net and found in one blog post a letter of his mom, posted in the yahoogroup of parents of grade school students of Ateneo. And here it goes:

“It is 11 pm now, watching Huey in deep sleep, and I am having my moments. I needed someone to cry to at this time of the night. And I thought of writing you… finally.

It has been 1 week and 4 days since I brought Huey to the hospital by ambulance due to severe pain. Since then, he has just been on bed. And as I write this, I am beginning to miss the sprightly Huey that I am used to – walking freely around the house, playing his gadgets carelessly, eating his favorite foods heartily, talking with his big husky voice endlessly.

Now, he sleeps more than he is awake. He gets up to recline on the bed with much help. We try to get him back to play his video games (his source of fun) by propping him up in his wheelchair, thinking that it might energize him.

In the beginning, he managed to play but only for a measly hour or so. The pain overtakes him, he would give it up to rest and sleep. He has lost his hearty appetite too. No more of the usual order list from him as I did a few groceries in the afternoon today.

However the leukemia may be taking its toll on Huey physically, his mind remains alert and his spirit, positive. Huey is not the complaining type, he tolerates as much pain as he could. He is still the sweet Huey who says “Good night, I love you” with a bear hug.

As of Feb 1, his blood profile showed that his bone marrow is producing 100% leukemic cells. It has spread so fast that by Feb 12, his peripheral veins are now 80% leukemic cells already. He is under pain management program taking in morphine and other pain killers under a dosage that he is still arousable and with pain that he can manage. He has recurrent fever ( at least twice a day), due to malignancy of his leukemia. He’s had platelets transfusion twice in a week. It is going to be like this in the next days or weeks to come – pain killing and blood transfusion – until the final call comes.

When he wakes up, it is almost like a big reunion for the 4 of us. We savor the time as if it is our last time together as a complete family.

This has long been overdue but please allow me to thank you all for your prayers, love, time, attention, and financial support for Huey and our family. To think that Huey has stopped schooling in Ateneo in Grade 4. As Vxxx would always remind me, this is the Ateneo way… and so I thought of writing you my pain as a parent because I know you are with me in this.

Thank you to your angels too – your sons, who will surely become like you - parents for others.

Good night! Time to hug Huey in his sleep….

Sincerely yours,

Fides”

I feel sorry for their loss and I feel bad that I wasn’t of any help to them, even through prayers, because I failed to recognize the world around me, outside of school and work. It pulls me back to my senses to be more sensitive to the people around me. It reminds me to make sure that I show my loved ones how much I love them each time I get a chance to do so.

To Huey Sepulveda’s family, condolence for your loss. Know that he is now in better hands and he is part of my prayers.

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