[I was swayed to do an ENCORE of this story about MANNY LOBRIGO, the patient who was under my Kumpadreng Bib Carilo’s care on Christmas Day of 2000. I actually got the whole story after I had a huddle with my Kumpadreng Bibs yesterday afternoon. INDEED, ADVERSITIES IN LIFE OPEN UP LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES. MANNY is now pursuing a PhD degree at the KARL FRANZENS UNIVERSITAT in GRAZ, AUISTRIA. Thanks so much to the love and generosity of MANNY’s sister and MANNY’s sister’s Austrian employer. As they say in AUSTRIA: “DU BIST DER MANN, MANNY!” (i.e. YOU’RE THE MAN, MANNY!]
‘Tis virtually an ENCORE1 of a recent BLOG,
But I’m amazed with inspiration; and it’s even a COG2,
The story about MANNY3, it’s truly DANDY,
I want to share it, to all my beloved Kumpadre!4
Days before CHRISTMAS in 2000,
MANNY revved up his bike somewhere in Legazpi town5;
But a vehicular accident sadly ensued,
MANNY’s leg got fractured; it seemed KABOSH6!
Hence MANNY was flown to Manila,
An operation was sked — past those mañana7;
Dr. Carilo’s medical advice was upheld,
An amputation cannot but be withheld!
MANNY though thankful was then despondent,
He thought his life has reached its last segment;
A miserable amputee by then, is he—
He seemed so much burden to his family…
A sis8 working in Austria was moved by sympathy,
MANNY relocated thereafter to Mozart’s Austria, a music prodigy9…
And even the sister’s employer was truly generous,
MANNY got educated — his degrees10 have grown grandiose11!
Weeks ago after flying in from GRAZ,12
MANNY made a quick visit to a doctor who’s TOP-CLASS13;
Doctor was unaware that the guy was once under his care,
MANNY was then his patient, a tragic sufferer14 !
Indeed, adversities do happen in LIFE,
But all of those, come about to test if we’ve gone BLITHE;15
But all of those adversities do open WINDOWS; as a prize —
As every vent that appears to us brings us closer to CHRIST!
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[Legend: 1 – ENCORE – This BLOG is a virtual repeat of FUN-RHYME Blog No. 81 entitled THE NURTURING AND CARING DR. NOEL B. CARILO aka BIBS. Though the subject of that earlier BLOG is Dr. Noel B. Carilo; the subject of this BLOG is Dr. Carilo’s then patient, Mr. MANNY LOBRIGO.
2 – COG is used in this BLOG to mean as an integral part. Indeed, the story narrated in this BLOG is an integral part of Fun-Rhyme Blog No. 81.
3 – MANNY is Manuel Lobrigo and the patient who was under Dr. Noel Carilo’s care in 2000 at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. Manny who is presently here in the Philippines is a TRIATHLETE and holds a Masteral Degree from the KARL-FRANZENS-UNIVERSITAT-GRAZ of Austrial Manny is currently pursuing a PhD degree from the same Austrian university.
4 – KUMPADRE is a Tagalog term which means COMPEER or friends or colleagues. In the Filipino setting, a Kumpadre actually is a friend who served as godfather in the baptismal rite of a child of the friend.
5 – MANNY who was then driving a motorcycle figured in a vehicular accident somewhere in the highways of Legazpi City in Albay of the Bicol region in southern Philippines.
6 – KABOSH means END or TERMINATION.
7 – MAÑANA is used in this BLOG to connote procrastination. At the provincial hospital in Albay where MANNY was first brought for medical care; perhaps due to lack of the necessary expertise and equipment, MANNY was virtually left improperly attended. I was told by Dr. Carilo that the open wound, a big gash on Manny’s leg which showed a horrendously crushed knee-bone/shin-bone; was even stitched up when the better option was to leave it open. Per Dr. Carilo, the leg was already gangrenous and if MANNY remained unattended for another day, MANNY would have expired due to SEPTIC SHOCK. There seemed some delay too in upholding the decision made by Dr. Carilo to do a leg-amputation; as MANNY’s close kin were all praying that the amputation be done as a mere last resort.
8 – Sis refers to MANNY’s sister who works as an OFW, actually a midwife/nurse in Austria.
9 – To achieve a rhyme, MOZART who is a music prodigy and a famous citizen of Austria was used to introduce AUSTRIA as MANNY’s second home after periods of depression following his leg amputation.
10 – Degrees refer to the college degrees acquired by MANNY at the KAR-FRANZEN-UNIVERSITAT-GRAZ in Austria.
11 – Actually MANNY’s college degrees have grown GRANDIOSE – first, with his Bachelor’s degree, then a Masteral degree and now, MANNY is working for his PhD.
12 – GRAZ is the capital of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. MANNY acquired his college as well as post-collegiate education at GRAZ’s KARL FRANZENS UNIVERSITAT.
13 – Dr. NOEL B. CARILO is an orthopedic surgeon of the highest caliber. Dr. Carilo once served as President of the PHILIPPINE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS SOCIETY.
14 – MANNY was actually suffering during that period before he was operated on by Dr. Noel Carilo. The pain was actually exacerbated by the gangrenous state of the fractured leg.
15 – The term BLITHE is being used in this BLOG to connote to having been either carefree or careless or heedless.]
