An evening for thanksgiving

IT was my first time to see Margie after she was felled by a cerebral aneurysm in Nov. 2008. I spoke with her at the launching of her husband Chet's book, 88 Days in India – A Pilgrimage of Faith, Hope & Love, at the Powerbooks last night and it was just so inspiring to see how far she's come in her recovery.

Although still in her wheelchair, she surprised us by walking up the steps to the second floor of Powerbooks, where the launch was to be held, albeit with the help of Chet. She asks for more prayers from all of us so she can really get back to walking unaided again.

If you are still thinking of what to give your friends and family, I think Chet's book will make a great gift. Through his daily updates via email, all of us were kept abreast of Margie's condition, of the suffering she went through, of Chet's devotion to her, and her triumph over the direst medical conditions. Readers will be moved by Chet's descriptions of Margie's battles, and of the ways he coped throughout the ordeal. But as they say, love conquers all, and his unwavering support for his wife while she lay ill, became Margie's passport to her recovery.

Here are a few photos from last night's book launch:

(Chet talks about the contents of his book, mostly email updates of Margie's condition.)

(Margie thanking everyone for their prayers and words of support.)

(With Margie, superwoman!)

Celebrate life

IF you remember, my friend and press colleague Margie Quimpo-Espino of the Phil. Daily Inquirer, suffered a brain aneurysm on Nov. 29, 2008. It's been a year since that happened and Margie is now talking, texting, and baking even! The last time we chatted via Facebook (yes, she's back on it!), she said she was still having difficulty walking. But other than that, she really sounded extremely fine and grateful for everyone's prayers and continuing messages of concern.

On Monday, Dec. 7, a book on about her ordeal and triumph in the face of much suffering, will be launched at the Powerbooks Greenbelt. Entitled "88 Days in India: A pilgrimage of faith, hope and love", the book is authored by Margie's husband, former Inquirer reporter Chet Espino, and is now available at all Powerbooks branches.

Pls. get a copy of this book and be inspired with Margie and Chet's story.

The power of prayers

Like many of her media colleagues, friends and relatives, I, too, subscribed to an e-mail group that had been set up so Chet could give us almost daily updates on Margie’s condition. At times, many of us felt weepy and helpless reading Chet’s updates, especially when it seemed that Margie’s condition had taken a turn for the worst. And then, she would get better, and we would all breath a sigh of relief, thankful that the good Lord had heard our prayers. (For the rest, click Something Like Life, July 31, 2009.)

(UPDATE 1:05 pm, Aug. 1, 2009) Thank you Lord for lending us Tita Cory. She has served You well.

Read this obit by veteran journalist Seth Mydans in NYT.

Isn't she lovely?

JUST got this email from Chet Espino, husband of friend and media colleague Margie Quimpo Espino via our yahoogroups. If you remember, I told you about how Margie had suffered an aneurysm last December while traveling in India. She literally was on the brink of death two-three times, but she was brought back and healed by the Lord.

Margie is living proof of how powerful prayers are. We should never lose hope. We should keep praying. He will answer.

Here's Chet:

Mother's Day was extra special yesterday as we also marked our 18th wedding anniversary with both sides of the family coming over for another big celebration.

Words are no longer enough to describe Margie now, but I hope the attached photo helps.



She still needs your prayers for the recovery of both her legs and her left arm. Therapy is becoming more and more difficult as her sensorium is almost fully restored and the experience of pain is much more felt.

Please join us in our daily thanksgiving not just for Margie's amazing recovery, but for God's gift of family for all of us.

P.S. -- For those who missed the television show, here it is on youtube:



Many thanks to Ms. Karen Davila and her crew for a wonderful handling of the story.

Woohoo! Congratulations to Margie and Chet for 18 wonderful years, and counting! Love you both. You are inspiration to us all.

Here's Margie now

THIS photo truly brought me joy.


Our colleague and friend Margie Quimpo-Espino has been recovering well (right, in wheelchair), thanks to everyone's prayers. She still has problems in her physical rehab, which is why Chet, her husband, is again asking for our prayers to help Margie along. Here's his email:

Happy Easter to all of you! Please see the attached photo -- this is Margie now. The picture was taken last Easter Sunday, after Holy Mass attended by members of both our families. We celebrated over lunch at home afterwards.

Margie gained another pound-and-a- half the week and has been eating well. She complains a lot but always finishes her food (e.g., "it's so hard to get this thin and you ask me to eat so much.")

Dr. Macalintal was visibly elated by her recovery when we came for a follow-up check today. But Dr. Gozum, Margie's rehab doctor, wasn't as happy. She's ordering more workouts as Margie's legs and left arm are way below expectations.

And this is why I write again, to ask for more of your prayers; more of the same prayers that got her this far.

Also, we have agreed to Ms. Karen Davila to feature our family in her show Wonder Mom which will air this Saturday at 9:45 a.m. Ms. Davila had wanted to do an inspirational story and we agreed that if that is the intention, then our story is not just ours to keep.

SO on their family's behalf, may I again seek your help in praying for Margie? God bless.

Rejoice! The Lord is risen!

I JUST wanted to share with you all this very moving piece by Chet Espino, husband of dear colleague Margie Quimpo-Espino, on how her life in the past three months could be likened to Christ's passion, death, and resurrection.

"I was in a state of disbelief and I walked in and out of the girls’ room about three times before I could tell Patricia, 15, that her mother was sick in India and that it looked very bad." (Read Passage of faith leads to Margie’s recovery .)

Thank you Lord for continuing to heal Margie and for the strength you give Chet and the kids. Truly, all things are possible with You at our side.

Margie's home!

OUR friend and colleague Margie Quimpo-Espino, who had suffered a stroke almost three months ago while on a press tour in New Delhi, has just arrived with her husband, Chet. She is now at the Asian Hospital in Alabang where she will undergo more therapy and medical care under our really great Pinoy doctors.

I couldn't help but shed tears as I saw the latest photos sent out by Chet of their homecoming, albeit it was at the hospital. The hugs his children gave him and the look on the faces of Margie's family as they welcomed her back were just all too precious. Although I wanted to share w/ you those photos, forgive me for not doing so, out of respect for the family.

There are many who have written me who don't know Margie personally but said they have prayed just the same, like all of her friends, for her recovery and safe return home. To them we say, thank you. From your lips to God's ears.

Pls. keep praying and saying those novenas for Margie and her family, that they may face her long road to recovery and rehabilitation with strength and grace. No request is too large or small for the Lord. He hears us and will answer us.

"And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)

Thank you Lord

IT'S a good day today. Despite my recent round of bad luck (w/c will end tomorrow according to Joseph Chau's feng shui book, yahoo!), there are a few things to celebrate.

You see, a friend and press colleague from my banking reporter days, Margie Quimpo Espino, an editor at the Inquirer, fell ill while on coverage in New Delhi, India. She is an apparent victim of a stroke (aka cerebral attack) and had lost consciousness last Nov. 29 after complaining of a severe headache. She was brought to the hospital and was given emergency treatment. Two days after, she woke up.

Her husband Chet is now at her side, as well as her brother Joey and his wife. And while Margie isn't totally out of the woods yet, as there is still some paralysis in her body, the latest word is that she has started to speak. Praise God! We have all been praying so hard for her and her family. I know Margie will get through this. She is a fighter and her strength comes from wanting to be w/ her three kids and her husband whom she loves so dearly.

I am attaching Chet's latest report about her condition (sent via our email group), so our friends here and abroad will know what's going on. This latest email moved me tears and made me give thanks to the Lord last night because it made me feel His compassion and love for us, His children.

Dear readers, even if you don't know Margie, pls. include her in your prayers everyday. Pls. ask Him to heal Margie completely; to give strength to Chet, their children (Mark, Catherine, Patricia), and the rest of their families; and to continue to give wisdom to her doctors so they will always make the correct diagnoses and recommend the best procedures for her to recover faster.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Holcim (w/c had sponsored the press tour Margie was on), which I had criticized in the past for some of its corporate decisions, but is now doing right by taking care of Margie and Chet.

* * * *

Fortis Escorts Hospital
Faridabad, Haryana
India

At around 3 p.m. today, Margie started opening her mouth and began uttering syllables that sounded like "shh... shh.. shhta... shta."

It seemed like she was just exercising her vocal chords and wasn't really attempting to communicate, until Nidin asked her simple questions and she either nodded or shook her head. I only missed it by a few minutes so that when I came, Nidin excitedly greeted me with the news that Margie was trying to speak.

On his prodding, I asked Margie if she knew who I am. In between labored breaths she uttered my name about three times. She still had that dazed look on her face and was battling with what I thought was pneumonia. Then I asked her what her name was and she made a big effort to say her name, also about three times with much effort.

A couple more questions and there was no doubt she was already coherent -- the first time since that fateful Saturday. She had been conscious since I arrived Monday but it's as if she only really woke up today. Joey, Margie's older brother and his wife Liz came and witnessed for themselves what I texted them only earlier.

All the effort that Margie made in trying to speak exhausted her and she fell asleep briefly. As soon as she was calm again, I put Patricia on the phone with her mother for a tearful exchange. I held the phone to Margie's ear and she started saying Patricia's name inaudibly while crying, although no tears came out of her eyes.

In another hour or so, I called again to let Mark and Catherine speak to their mother. We who were around Margie were so surprised when she said "where did you come from?" because we were only telling her to listen to the voices of her children and not to stress herself trying to speak. She actually wanted to make conversation! But none of these were audible to the kids, she couldn't quite let out her voice yet.

Tomorrow we expect her to really show a lot more improvement. Margie really cannot move her left hand and left leg just yet, but the doctors and nurses and physical therapists assure me that she we'll get there. In any case, they ordered another CT scan just to investigate. I have yet to talk to Dr. Dua about it but I heard from the nurse that the CT scan results seemed ok.

Let us pray to God to make Margie whole again.

This wonderful afternoon was actually preceded by a gut-wrenching morning where Margie battled with what I thought was pneumonia. Her lungs were filled with fluid and the x-ray showed her lower right lung was collapsed because of the fluids. They had to change her antibiotics and suction the fluids out with a catheter through the mouth. It was very difficult because during that time they still could not communicate well with Margie. You couldn't tell her to cough properly to let out the fluids, so that it was like bobbing in her lungs and throat.

I was sent out during the procedure so I took advantage of the time to walk back to the hotel and eat lunch with Joey and Liz. It was emotionally draining to see Margie go through it.

We retreated to my room afterwards so I was able to recharge my drained batteries. I was prepared for a tough time when I got back, but I was pleasantly greeted by Nidin with the good news.

Now the bigger picture. In the DSA yesterday, the dye they sent through Margies' head showed no aneurysm in the cerebral arteries. But a small connecting segment was not penetrated by the dye because of spasm, caused by the presence of blood in her brain. That blood will eventually wash away in 3 weeks, and they would like a repeat of the DSA then to complete their investigation.

If they still find no aneurysm in that segment which is about I think only 4 mm long, then I think the doctors may conclude that the bleeding was associated with her hypertension.

I asked the doctor: what happened to the two cases of ''suspected aneurysm'' that was reported during the MRI? He said there was not much to go by with the CT scan or the MRI; the DSA showed no aneurysm.

The doctors told us that it'll probably take Margie 2 to 3 weeks to be fit enough travel.

Mark was anxious about this. "But that's Christmas," he said in his text. Patricia had the same thing in mind.

I said yes, I had the same reaction. But then how can we complain about anything now, I told them. We have their mom. Only a few days ago, our pleas were just to have her alive in the first place.

We have a long way to go. Today gives us so much strength to take on whatever God will permit us to go through in the coming days. Please, please continue the prayers.