August 24, 2014
Nay and Tay had fallen asleep that morning. They weren't able to during the night so I let them rest. I told Ate Karen to catch my attention if she needed anything so we wouldn't wake up the parents; I was sitting in a chair facing her bed so she wouldn't have to ring the bell Tita Belen lent her. She has been using that at home to call us whenever she had to and that's why we brought it to the hospital, to avoid unnecessary strain on her voice which was already hoarse.
Taking photos was a way for me to get a smile out of Karen, but it had been difficult to do that the past few days. I just tried and said we'd take a photo for Ate Tess. She was feeling weak but still managed to do her classic peace sign pose, even with a nasogastric tube, oxygen, and cardiac monitor leads attached to her. She even asked me to get her mobile and earphones so she could watch some Koreanovelas, adding to the web of wires.
The previous night was very difficult but I tried my best not to show her that my heart was breaking. How can I not try when she herself was not showing any signs of giving up?
This is my Ate Karen-strong, brave, and happy even in the most trying of times.
This was originally posted in the Facebook group KAREN'S JOURNEY TO HEALING, which was created to document my sister Karen's battle against cancer.
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