This son from Pampanga recently went viral on social media after he decided to resign from his regular job to take care of his adoptive father after suffering stroke in January 2022.
“I worked before sa isang BPO company but I resigned when Papa had a stroke to do care-giving responsibilities since ako lang po ang nag iisang anak niya at wala po siyang asawa,” RM Capillas told The Philippine STAR
RM managed to record his father’s journey towards his recovery. The uploaded video on social media has already garnered 2.4 million views.
RM said that Papa Avelino was rushed to the hospital at around 3 AM on January 20, 2022.
“[He experienced] weakness on his left side body and slurred speech. According po sa naging result ng CT scan niya, may infarct daw po sa brain niya na naconvert into bleeding. He was also tested positive in COVID-19 kaya tumagal po kami sa hospital,” he recalled.
Papa Avelino was admitted to the hospital for 22 days. He was discharged from the hospital on February 10, 2022.
But his recovery was a bit challenging for both of them. RM had to support and accompany Papa Avelino during his therapy sessions. Papa Avelino undegoes physical therapy three times a week.
“Witnessing the suffering of Papa is a big challenge for me. Di po ako sanay na makita siya sa ganong sitwasyon. Sobrang masiyahing tao po kase siya bago siya mastroke. At first, di ko alam kung ano magiging outcome ng gamutan at pag te-therapy ni Papa, kung gaano katagal siya makakarecover at kung maibabalik paba ‘yung dating sigla niya,” he said.
RM had to face physical and emotional challenges during his father’s recovery. “Medyo challenging din po kung paano alagaan ang mga nastroke tulad ni Papa. For me, di po ganon kadali ang mag alaga ng mga nastroke lalo na’t ito ‘yung unang beses na mastroke si Papa. Matinding pasensya at tyaga talaga sa pagaalaga ang kailangan.”
The relatives of Papa Avelino and RM’s partner are helping to sustain the needs of his father. RM said he wanted to share their story to inspire and spread awareness to the public.
“To inspire people not only for those people who have the same case as my father’s, but also to those people who are facing different battles in life,” he said.
“Despite all those struggles we come across, we just have to keep going. God is in control of everything and there is always hope. We just need a little time, patience, determination, support system from our family and friends and for as long as we have strong faith in God, nothing is impossible,” RM stressed.
RM hopes that Papa Avelino will continue his progress towards full recovery.
“For God’s grace, he’s been doing well and has shown huge progress for the past 5 months. He’s able to perform daily activities independently gaya ng pagbihis, pagpunta sa CR, paglalakad sa labas para magpa-araw at kumain. He can also speak clearly na din po pero di pa niya gaanong maigalaw ng maayos ‘yung left arm niya. Hopefully for the next few months, maging ok na din ito,” he shared.
