The Brief, brave life of young Patrick by Rowena Wendy Lim Lei
HEALTH TODAY SEPTEMBER ISSUE
THE BRIEF,BRAVE LIFE OF YOUNG PATRICK
by ROWENA WENDY WEI LIM
The painful struggle of the boy with bone cancer shows how faith can give life meaning even beyond death.
“Our existence is a short circuit of light between two eternities of darkness,” the great Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov once said. I couldn’t agree more, especially after I found out about the tragic death of a remarkable 16-year old named Patrick Zaldarriaga.
Born just a day after Christmas in 1993, Patrick was only child, the best gift his parents Peter and Kutchie Zaldarriaga could ever hope for. Patrick was good – natured, healthy, and playful.
He was smart, too, an honor student who was equally active in extracurricular activities. He possessed a genuine love for learning and was well –liked by his peers. Life was good and his proud parents couldn’t ask for more.
Things changed in 2006. When Patrick was 12, the family flew to Hong Kong for a vacation. Peter noticed his son limping. “I would see him always touching his left leg,” recalls Kutchie. “ When we’d ask him what was wrong, he would tell us “nangangawit lang.” Peter also saw how his son tired easily when they shopped. He would ask to return to their hotel. Peter found its strange that his son lacked the stamina of a kid his age.
“We went straight to the hospital right after we landed in NAIA,” Kutchie recalls. “ We had Patrick’s leg checked. We were told that it was muscle pain and that he needed to undergo physical therapy with heat.” The treatment only worsened the problem.
A terrible second opinion
When they sought a second opinion, an x-ray revealed a shadow the size of a golf ball attached to the bone on Patrick’s left leg. After more tests, Patrick was diagnosed with Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma Stage 2A, or simply put, bone cancer.
To save the leg, the doctor recommended a bone graft or transplant since the cancer was at an early stage. But there was no match in the bone banks in the Philippines. The bone had to be sourced abroad. An accident allowed a donor from Singapore to become available. A 16-year old who had died in a car crash provided what Patrick needed.
Kutchie, a wedding coordinator, mustered skills, resources, and connections to speed up the process of bringing in the bone her son needed. ” Time was something we didn’t have, and just about every step entailed days of waiting for papers and permits,” Kutchie says.
From sick to well and back again
On the day the bone arrived from Singapore, Patrick went under the knife. He also underwent chemotherapy for a year. It worked. Patrick went into remission and managed to graduate from grade school and move on to high school.
“When cancer goes into remission, you have to remain vigilant,” Kutchie avers.” Monitoring has to be done every three months. You’re required to undergo MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), blood work, and a battery of tests to make sure you’re still cancer-free.”
Two years later, the cancer was back. “It started as a single nodule in his left lung,” his mom recalls. That single nodule multiplied, growing in size and eventually sticking to Patrick’s ribs. The nodules were surgically removed. But, during the procedure, doctors discovered a tumor near the boy’s spine.
A subsequent operation took out most of the tumor but a part of it had to be left untouched. Doctors feared Patrick would die instantly if they remove all the growth.
Borrowed life
By this time, the Zaldarriaga’s were trying other treatments. “ We went to alternative doctors.”. We tried crystal healing, herbal teas, all-organic diets… We really tried everything, but nothing worked, “ Kutchie recollect s.
Throughout his ordeal, Patrick never complained or blamed God for his plight. If anything, it made his faith stronger. He would constantly pray and say the rosary. An excerpt from Patrick’s essay entitled “ These Change Through Time”, written in August 2009, says as much;
“I’m merely borrowing this life, which isn’t mine … my life was nonetheless a blessing, though marred with pain and misery. This was a test, a chance to prove my faith… I had to hold on not… for myself but for Him, for my friends , my family who held on for me.”
Patrick fought bravely. As cancer ravaged his physical body, it failed to conquer his spirit. He faced every surgery and chemotherapy session with extra ordinary courage. Pressed to take a leave of absence, he refused to miss school because it was one of the only remaining “normal” factors in his life. Going to school with his classmates and friends brought him great joy.
He also didn’t want to see his parents sad or in tears “ Mommy, please stop crying because you’re making it heavy for me,” Patrick would say. He was determined to fight for his life and yet he seemed just as prepared to accept his fate. “No human being can heal me. Only God can heal me, only Him and Him alone,” he would tell his parents.
Big dreams
Patrick had big dreams. He wanted to study abroad after high school and work for CNN. Even if he wasn’t old enough to vote, he actively campaigned for President Noynoy Aquino until bedridden.” He kept saying that we needed change, and so we should vote for Noynoy,” his dad recalls.
Through common friends in school, Patrick’s story reached Viel Aquino-Dee, President Aquino’s sister. She was so moved by his story, she told her brother about it. Five days after the elections, the new President paid Patrick a visit in his home.
“ It was the first time I saw Patrick truly smile in weeks.” Kutchie recalls. By this time, Patrick was already paralyzed from the waist down. “Why me?” The President asked the young boy. “Because you are the only one who represents cleanliness… the only one who will give back the country’s credibility to the world,” Patrick replied.
President Aquino spent an hour with the boy. He gave Patrick a Swatch watch and DVDs of his campaigns. It made Patrick very happy on the week that was going to be his last.
Bid Farewell
“During the last few days, I was still trying to look for alternative medicines,” reveals Kutchie. “Then we totally stopped going out and spent all of our time with Patrick. He constantly asked for support and prayers, even calling our household helpers into his room so we could all hold hands and pray together. Whenever we would pray, Patrick would make sure that we prayed not just for him but for everyone who was suffering. He was very unselfish.”
In the end, his mom says, Patrick orchestrated his final farewell. “He made sure everyone was there and then he asked to be brought to the hospital even when he was already unable to speak. It’s strange but he spoke to me in my mind. He didn’t want to die at home because he knew it would be very difficult for us. He passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”
It was June 12, 2010.
“We take comfort in the fact that Patrick has been able to inspire so many people during his life and even after his death,” Peter says. “Parents, children, and families would come up to us and tell us how Patrick touched their lives in ways we cannot know.”
“We still cry every night,” Kutchie admits. “Only in life can God test our faith. It is also because of Patrick that we remain ever faithful, holding no grudge against God.”
If our existence is but a short circuit of light, Patrick’s certainly shone bright.
