Diabetes and Smoking: How It Jolted Me Out of My Passive State

Last Palm Sunday, we were getting ready to go to my hubby's relative's house in Mandaluyong. They have this yearly tradition called Pabasa that's been going on for decades. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I didn't grew up in a family where local Catholic traditions are practiced, so the first time my then-BF now-hubby brought me to the Pabasa, naaliw ako dahil para syang church event/reunion.

This year's Palm Sunday was different though - and it wasn't due to the fact that the Pabasa was actually catered (as in with tables and chairs galore). It was because instead of spending the day at the Pabasa, we had to head to Lourdes Hospital to visit my Dad who had to be rushed there that morning.


According to my mom, at about 4am my dad was coughing like crazy, and then all of a sudden his hands went rigid and his eyes had a blank stare. This happened twice. Based on the final diagnosis of the doctors at Lourdes, Dad had a myocardial infarction, or in simpler terms, a heart attack - and he seemed to have had it twice (once at home and another at the hospital), with the second being a milder one. The heart attack situation was made even more complex by grade 4 pneumonia and his progressed diabetes. In essence, these two was what actually brought and kept him in the hospital. It's crazy.

And his four-day stay in the hospital along with his gazillion meds that he has to take from now on, served as my 'alarm clock' na hindi na dapat passive when it comes to taking care of one's health.

I'm 28 and a bit starting na on the heavy side (134 lbs at 5'2"), and with my dad being a diabetic, hindi malabo na I could become one too. I don't really eat a lot naman, and I'm not into sweets either - my biggest problem actually is the lack of exercise. Kahit gaano ka kasi mag-diet, if you don't follow it up with exercise, ganun din eh. And since I am making my dad's weekly diet plan, I also promise myself to make healthier food choices.

It's really amazing how God can 'tap' you and remind you that your body is not indestructible - and that you only have one to live the rest of your life in. In my Dad's case, he had to have some heavy 'tapping' to jolt him out of his passive state. And that was enough to serve as my 'tap' on the shoulder too. Not because all the 'green and healthy' stuff is uso, but because taking care of one's body is NECESSARY. I really wouldn't want any more tapping in the future just for me and my family members to realize just how important it is.

How about you? When and how do you plan to start making a change to live a healthier lifestyle?