Meanwhile, both Baby and I deteriorated in health. Since Baby had a long history of hypertension and I had diabetes and was overweight, our common doctor was a cardiologist, Dra. Esperanza “Espi” Icasas Cabral, Director of the Heart Center. Unfortunately for us, GMA appointed her Secretary of Social Welfare and, later on Secretary of Health. Baby and I were deprived of medical advice for about two years from 2005 to 2007.
By the time we consulted with a doctor due to some eye issues, Baby’s kidneys had deteriorated. Her creatinine level had gone up to 300. Our doctor was Dr. Antonio “Sonny” R. Paraiso of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI). He warned us that Baby would need dialysis soon. He was able to treat Baby for six years before, at a creatinine level of 600, she started MWF dialysis in November 2013.
From November 2013 until this past January our third child, Manuel Hermilo “Mikko” brought Baby to her thrice a week dialysis. Late at night, on July 31, 2017, Baby suffered a heart attack at home. We brought her to the ER of St. Luke’s Medical Center, Q. C. After an angiogram, the cardiologist said that there were two blockages and that they would try an angioplasty. However, her blood vessels were no longer conducive for the placement of stents. So, a triple bypass had to be performed on her. She stayed in the hospital for slightly over a month.
After her triple bypass, Baby was able to do all the things she used to do before her heart attack. She went back to her thrice a week dialysis at NKTI. Throughout almost two years of COVID, Baby and Mikko continued with the routine of her dialysis. However, after Christmas in 2021, Baby, Cuchie and I caught COVID. Baby had to have her dialysis in the quarantine ward. Her lungs weakened and she started to become oxygen dependent. We bought an oxygen concentrator but initially did not use it on a 24 hours basis.
Until Friday, April 1, 2022, Baby could still climb up and down one flight of stairs. However, the day after Cuchie’s fifty birthday on April 3, she could no longer climb the stairs and had to be carried on a monobloc chair by two people. In mid - May, we confined her at St. Luke’s Q. C. This was her longest confinement and lasted up to September
All sorts of medical issues came out. Aside from the high and low blood pressure, there was high CO2 and low O2. She caught pneumonia and other infections. Aside from IVs, she was fed through the nose, intubated and finally peg fed. She had to use a Bipap for at least seven hours a day. By the time Baby went home, she was bed bound, 24 hours oxygen dependent and had a caregiver, Sandra.
Since May 2022, it was Tue, Thu and Sat dialysis at St. Luke’s QC., where it costs more than at NKTI. Mikko continued to bring Baby to her dialysis sessions. However, this time around they had a caregiver with them. In the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, Baby was confined for shorter periods for about six times. All of these happened after a dialysis session, usually due to low blood pressure.
On October 14, 2024, our eldest grandchild, Xavi, and his French girlfriend, Isa, gave us a great grandson, Zacharie. We thank them for the joy that they brought to the last year of Baby’s life. Since Zacharie first arrived from France a year ago, they had been visiting us at home on Sunday mornings. Xavy and Isa were scheduled to get married on December 16, 2025, at the Santuario de San Jose, Greenhills, Mandaluyong. This is the same church were Baby and I and Luli and Jun, Gerrie’s parents, were married more than fifty – five years ago.
Since Baby’s confinement in mid - 2025, we noticed that she was getting weaker. She was starting to lose what eyesight she had left. More often, than not, she was too weak to hear Mass on TV. In retrospect, I feel that she made every effort to live until Xavy’s wedding, which she could not attend. On Christmas Day Isa’s parents visited her at home. She celebrated her last Christmas, last New Year and received her last Papal Blessing.
On Monday, January 5, we settled into the new working year. A week later, after dinner on Monday, January 12, Baby complained of severe stomach pain. We called for the Lifeline ambulance and brought her to the St. Luke’s QC ER. At first, it appeared like a simple problem – her feeding peg had moved. It was replaced with a new peg. We were expecting to be discharged soon.
Then, the days stretched out and complications arrived. On Tuesday, January 20, she was moved to the ICU. She was intubated. Her 4 – 6 - hour regular dialysis was replaced with a 20 - hour dialysis that cost ten times more. A week later, things started to improve and she. returned to the regular dialysis. We were expecting that Baby would be transferred to a regular room.
Baby’s regular caregiver had gone on vacation for a week in her home province. Her reliever was her aunty, Ging. Ging had been the caregiver of my mother – in – law three decades ago. But on Friday, January 30, Ging’s husband was leaving for abroad. Thus, fate would have it that in her last 24 hours, it was her constant companion for dialysis, Mikko, who was with her.
Early on Friday morning, Mikko was called from the “bantays” lounge by the nurse. Baby was deteriorating. Late morning Mikko messaged close relatives “to come now if you want to see Mama”. Cuchie and I arrived. Then, Baby’s single sister Chona arrived and went looking for a priest. Rochelle, Connie and Jingle’s families arrived. Pip and Lucky’s families arrived. Pip came from golf in Lipa and his son, Miguel, from Cebu. Xavi, granddaughter – in – law Isa and great grandson Zacharie arrived. Baby’s three sisters abroad started booking their flights for Sunday and Monday. Her brother, Jojo based in Davao City prepared to come with his family.
At 8:23 p.m., Friday, Baby was braindead. At 12:23 a.m., Saturday, January 31, 2026, she was officially declared dead.
We had her remains cremated at Arlington, Araneta Ave. on Sunday afternoon. We held her wake at Mt. Carmel, New Manila, on Sunday night and Monday and Tuesday. On Saturday, Baby was inurned in a niche in the crypt of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on Broadway St., New Manila, Q. C.
Since then, an 88 year old paternal cousin, Rosie Alcuaz Gallegos Mendoza, a 71 year old maternal cousin, Robert Araneta Singh, a 97 year old neighbor and best friend, Rufina “Pinang” Miller Moreno, and a 76 year old Ateneo batchmate, Armand “Bim” Bacaltos, have died. Rosie and Tita Pinang had come to Baby’s wake.
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