2009-08-08

Dear Cory...


I know it's been a week since former President Cory Aquino died and this blog entry may be a little too late but I think it's better late than never. I've been thinking about posting a message at the Salamat President Cory website but every time I log on to the site I can't seem to find the right words to say. So after watching the burial I decided to write an entry regarding her death but I was able to finish two days after she was laid to rest.

So now, exactly nine days since she passed away, I finally decided to post the entry I was able to finish last Friday. This is an open letter for everyone who loves former President Cory - her supporters, loved ones, and every Filipino around the globe.


While most of the Filipinos cried because of the loss of a great President, I, together with my family weep for a different reason. Six years ago, our own mom passed away of colon cancer and when I heard that former President Cory Aquino contracted the disease as well, I can't help but felt sad. I prayed to the Lord to give former President more years to spend with her family, although deep inside I kind of felt that Him granting my prayer is no guarantee.


When we discovered that our own mom had a colon cancer, we tried our best, prayed harder just to beg God to heal her and extend her life. We visited different churches of different religions just for my mom's wellness, but her cancer was already in Stage 4 when we discovered about it, which is often incurable. I blamed the doctors for making a misdiagnoses on my mom; saying that she has a cancer of the ovary, only to realized that it was colon cancer in the middle of her supposed operation. She attended chemo therapies and for three years, going to the hospital seemed like a normal thing for us already. I was with you, Kris Aquino, when you said that it was hard to see your mother cry, knowing that you can do nothing to make her feel better. It hurt so much knowing that someone with a good heart contracted such incurable disease. It hurts more thinking about every single day might be your last with her.

When she passed away peacefully on the 16th of January, it felt like my own world crashed down. I kept saying sorry to her during her burial; sorry for being a bad daughter... sorry for not being there all the time she needed me. What hurts more for me is when she died, it was just 9 months before my 18th birthday. My mom's passing broke my little heart, feeling very disappointed that I wasn't able to do the things I was supposed to do or say the things I've been wanting to tell her all these years.

Your speech during the funeral mass send lumps on my throat and tears in my eyes. It feels like I can relate with every word you said, every stories you shared, and every heartaches you blurt out. However, I think that you were still lucky, Kris, because God gave you more than 30 years to be with your mom. I was watching the news the day after former President Cory's burial but it still makes me cry; feeling sad for her loss.

I was born two years after Sen. Ninoy Aquino died, so the only way I know about the things President Cory had done for the country was through our lessons in school or from the stories of the elders around me. I barely know your mother, except for what I have heard, read and seen on videos; but seeing someone who touched many lives died felt like a part of me was ripped apart, like someone close to me died as well. I cried not because such a great leader passed away, but because I felt the pain you and your family felt - losing your mother dearly for colon cancer. And you were right, Kris... it will take a lifetime for us to be Ok. It's been six years since my own mom passed away but there were times when I still wake up in the middle of the night and just cry, thinking about mommy.

Cancer is a bitch; it took our loved ones away from us. However, the least thing we could do when we lose them is to wish that they were already in peace, watching us from heaven with God the Father, and hoping that they will help us move forward.

My sincerest condolences.
Jhack Telan

























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"When you lie, Be Consistent. (="

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