Our Precious Angel, Raphael Roque

The past 3 weeks have not been very easy for me and my husband. During this period, much time has been spent praying, soul-searching and asking for prayers from our friends. No words could adequately describe what we felt and are currently feeling during these most trying times. Enclosed is a copy of the e-mail we sent out to our family and friends. Please include us in your prayers.

Dear family, friends and colleagues,

You all witnessed how happy we were for the last 7 months because the Lord blessed our union with a child in Mar’s [this is my nickname - ladybug] womb.

However, as some of you may already know, this happiness was short-lived. The 6th ultrasound 3 weeks ago showed what could be the presence of an omphalocele in our son’s stomach. We immediately searched the web and found out that an omphalocele is a congenital (found at birth) malformation in which variable amounts of abdominal contents protrude into the base of the umbilical cord, in our son’s case, his stomach and intestines. As the fetus grows in pregnancy, the intestines grow and get longer and project from the abdomen into the umbilical cord. This growth is taking place from the sixth to the tenth week of pregnancy. Normally the intestines return rapidly into the abdomen by the eleventh week of pregnancy. If this fails to happen, an omphalocele is present. However, more than half of all infants born with an omphalocele may have other birth defects. Some of these defects may be serious. This was what alarmed us instantly. We kept praying and hoping that it would just be an omphalocele, with no other complications.

We then went to see a perinatologist 2 weeks ago for a high-level ultrasound. We received more shattering news. Our son did not just have an omphalocele, he has several other congenital defects as well: hypoplastic left heart syndrome (A rare but serious congenital heart defect. It is the most common cause of death from heart disease during the first week of life.), absence of nasal bone, clubbed hands coupled with clinodactyly, among others. Presence of all these symptoms are highly suspicious for the presence of Trisomy 18. At present, further testing is deferred until Mar gives birth and the cord blood could be subjected to Karyotyping in order to fully diagnose the presence of trisomy 18.

What is Trisomy 18?

At conception, 23 chromosomes from the father and 23 chromosomes from the mother combine to create a baby with 46 chromosomes in each cell, two of each type. Each chromosome holds a particular "position" in the cell and carries certain genetic material. A trisomy occurs when a baby has three chromosomes in one position instead of the normal two.

The most common trisomy is Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, where a baby has three of the twenty-first chromosome. Trisomy 18 is the second most common trisomy and occurs when a baby has three of the eighteenth chromosome. This results in 47 chromosomes instead of the normal 46 in the affected cells. It is this extra genetic material that causes the problems associated with Trisomy 18.

Trisomy 18 is also called Edwards syndrome (or Edward's syndrome) and occurs in about 1:3000 conceptions and 1:6000 live births, as 50% of those diagnosed prenatally with the condition will not survive the prenatal period. Unlike Down syndrome, Trisomy 18 is usually fatal, with most of the babies dying before birth and those who do make it to birth typically living only a few days. However, a small number of babies (<10%) live at least one year.

Most trisomies (about 95%) are full trisomies. That is, the extra chromosome occurs in every cell in the baby's body. This type of trisomy is not hereditary, and is not due to anything the parents did or did not do, and it is by far the most common type. In most literature, Trisomy 18 means full Trisomy 18.

This disease has been described as “incompatible with life.”

No one, not even the doctor, could assess our son’s percentage of survival. Other children with t18 and with no heart complications have survived for a few months, while others without the heart disease did not even make it to full term. Each story is different for each family.

Please don’t hesitate to ask us how we’re doing or to discuss our son’s current situation. Sometimes, talking about it is a big help. At this point, we cannot do anything but continuously pray for our son. Aside from our family, we also felt the need to inform our friends and work colleagues in order to avoid awkwardness, inform people about this disease, and more importantly, to ask for your prayers.

We hope that we get the chance to meet our son alive and for him to be baptized Raphael Roque Nuval Mance.

Sincerely,

"Hush! My dear; lie still and slumber;

Holy angels guard thy bed.

Heavenly blessings without number

Gently falling on thy head."

- by Isaac Watts

Belated congratulatory post

I know, I know. I haven't been a dutiful wife lately. This is a very belated congratulatory post. I would like to congratulate my hubby Jojo Mance and his partner Melvin Llanes for winning the Men's Doubles Open Category at the Powerade Badminton Cup 2006 held last December 2006 at the Yonex Badminton Court in Mandaluyong City.

Jojo Mance and Melvin Llanes (Champion in the Men's Doubles Category)
Irene Chiu and Jaime Junio (Champions of the Mixed Doubles Category)
Photos courtesy of Powerade, Kimoni and Yourbadminton.com

Champions of the Men's Doubles Category together with the organizers
(From left to right: Jojo Mance, Jenny Cinco of Coca-Cola Phil., Melvin Llanes,
Sharon Lee of Kimoni and Emma Mina of Mindworks)

Congratulations Honey! Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the games and cheer them on because I had to stay at home and rest from the operation I had last year (removal of my dermoid cyst). I'm starting to think that my husband gets lucky whenever I don't get to watch his games....hehehe. I broached this topic with my husband, and of course, he laughingly brushed it aside saying that I can never bring him bad luck. (Aww....sweet noh.) Anyway, you can read more of their feat at this website http://www.yourbadminton.com/article52.php

tag category: badminton tournaments

The Dilemma of Kris

I've always avoided showbiz topics in the past. But I just cannot resist writing about the Kris-James-Hope love triangle. Last weekend, almost every television set in the Philippines was glued to Startalk and S-Files for the much-awaited revelation of "Hope" Centeno regarding her affair with cager James Yap, husband of Kris Aquino. Rumors/jokes circulated regarding what the revelation would include, e.g. lurid details about sexual encounters, content of text messages, etc.

This probably prompted the "collapse" of Kris when she first heard about the scheduled airing of the interview of Hope by Lolit Solis. My heart goes out to Kris at this point. While I may not agree with some of the steps taken and I'm reserving my judgment about the whole controversy, I can only imagine the pain she must be going through, and at such a difficult time in her life. She's also 7 months pregnant like me (note: unfortunately the similarity ends there as I don't have her multi-million peso account nor the face of my father in the 500-peso bill). I'm having trouble as it is - lower back pain, morning sickness (yes, I still have it and in fact it's even worse now and it seems to have rubbed off on my husband too), anxieties about the baby and the upcoming delivery - without having the "supposed" infidelity of your husband being broadcast over national television. Oh well, as Lolit aptly puts it - "Next week, this will all be forgotten. Until James gets in trouble again."

A little update...

I know...I've been silent for a long time, a little longer than the usual. I've had trouble accessing the blogger website last month, which made me lose my cool and wanted to stop blogging altogether. But I realized that I missed all you guys. When I opened my blogger account today, I was surprised that blogger automatically switched me to the new version. Oh well, at least I had no trouble logging in and posting this entry. Actually, it seems even easier now.

Just a little update...

Whooaa...I've gained 30 pounds with the pregnancy. And there's still one more trimester left to go. My OB-GYN wants me to cut down on my carb intake. Aw shucks, I love my carbs...rice, bread, pasta, you name it.

I have edema ("pagmamanas") of the ankle and feet. From a shoe size of 8, I've gone to a size 9 and this morning, I had trouble putting on my size 9 shoes because of the extreme swelling. The only thing I look forward to are the foot massages my husband gives me every night in the hopes of letting the swelling subside. (I don't think it has any effect but please don't tell my husband.)

Anyway, I'm getting hungry. Im thinking of going to Greenbelt 1 and having some snacks...maybe pasta? ("Tigas talaga ng ulo...kasasabi lang bawasan ang carb intake eh.") Good luck ladybug!

Happy Birthday Kuya...

Dearest Kuya,

Happy happy birthday! It has been a very long time since we talked and I really miss you very, very much. You've missed a lot of milestones in my life....passing the bar and becoming a lawyer, getting married and being pregnant right now. I'm so excited to tell you that you're going to have a nephew!!! I miss the way you torture me every morning by tickling me when I was still a little kid. I'm pretty sure you're going to do the same to your nephew and he is going to adore you. I just hope that you're having a grand celebration there in heaven. Don't worry, I'll tell my son stories about you so that he'll still get to know his Tito. I love you very much...

Love,
Your Little Sister


In memory of my Kuya
(17 January 1963-20 August 1993)

Merry Christmas!

I am fully expecting the following days before Christmas to be a very busy time, both at the office and at home. I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog during this busy yuletide season. So, I just want to make sure that I'm able to greet all of you a very warm and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! With all the celebrations and parties around us, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas -- the birth of our saviour Jesus Christ. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyous Christmas ahead.

I got tagged!

After all the preparations and the recovery needed after my operation, I must admit I had no idea how to get my creative juices flowing again. My mind goes blank every time I log in to my blogger account. Good thing I got tagged by a blog friend Kat. This is a nice way for me to get excited about writing again. For this tag, I need to write 6 random facts about myself, plus an explanation for each item. Here it goes ...

1. I cannot sleep with dirty feet.

I might be dead-tired from work (arriving past midnight) with my make-up still on,
about to fall asleep the moment my head hits my pillow...and yet I cannot sleep with dirty feet. I have this urgent need to go to the bathroom and wash my feet even if I do not get to wash my face or brush my teeth due to sheer exhaustion. I just have no explanation for this. This is one of my quirks.

2. I like watching my DVD set of "Will & Grace" over and over and over again.

It used to be the TV show "Friends," but this has been replaced by "Will & Grace". I do not get tired of watching the same show over and over again. And I still laugh at the right moments. Don't get me wrong...I like watching the occasional new movie and TV show. But there is something about watching the same scenes over and over again...gives me a sense of comfort that nothing will change in my life and nobody will leave me...again. Must be all the childhood heartaches of relatives and friends migrating abroad and the memory of the death of my brother and father.

3. I love collecting bookmarks.

As a young kid, I loved to read the usual Nancy Drew series which progressed to Sweet Dreams which eventually progressed to more serious stuff. Since budget was tight, I was unable to buy and collect these books. I could only borrow them. So, in lieu of books, I thought of collecting bookmarks. Wala lang...bookmarks are a whole lot cheaper. :-)

4. I love to eat bananas dipped in adobo cauce and/or ice cream with potato chips or french fries.

These are some of my comfort foods. I love the sweetness of bananas or ice cream mixed with the saltiness of adobo sauce or potato chips/french fries. However, since I'm pregnant and currently in the stage of paglilihi, I cannot stand the smell or sight of bananas and adobo and any food with lots of garlic in them. They would have to wait until I give birth.

5. I have a very laid back disposition.

A friend of mine is frustrated with me. When I was still single and unattached, this friend of mine would always invite me to go to Sagada, Mountain Province to trek. While I am sure that this place must be very picturesque surrounded by the beauty of nature....I am not inclined to go through all that trouble to enjoy the beauty of nature. My idea of a perfect vacation is to stay in bed and sleep all day....hehehe.

6. Whenever I go inside National Book Store, I have this strong compulsion to buy something, even just a ballpen so that I will not leave empty handed.

I have racked up a lot of reward points with my Laking National Card because of this compulsion. There is absolutely no explanation for this. If you have any idea how to get rid of this compulsion, I would certainly welcome your suggestion. This is the reason why I refuse to go inside National Book Store if there is no need for me to buy anything.

I'm not tagging anyone with this meme. I'm just happy to be back.

Road to Recovery

Last 17 November 2006, I underwent the operation to remove the cyst in my left ovary. It was successful and the baby and I are both fine. Since then, I've been slowly, but surely, recovering in the confines of our home. Rest assured that everything is OK. It was very painful during the first few days after the operation since I could not take pain-killers because of the bad effect it might have on the foetus. But I'm feeling a whole lot better now. Thank you very much for all of your prayers.

I'M BACK!

Hi dear friends! I know I've been gone for a long time. Rest assured that I'm perfectly alright...so far. I'm touched by the messages I received while I was gone.

Anyway, I think there's a need to explain my long absence....but then there's really no explanation for it. Hahahaha. As most of my friends in the blogosphere know by now, I'm on the family way. I've been experiencing morning sickness from hell which explains my "suplada" attitude these days....teehheee....and hubby has no choice but to put up with it. My workload has been crazy. And most of all, there were the needed trips to the doctor's clinic and to the hospital.

My first ultrasound was a happy one, saw the peanut-sized foetus inside the uterus and my heart fluttered like crazy...until I saw the doctor frowning. "Doc, what's wrong?" She answered, "there seems to be a dermoid cyst in your left ovary." And that was it. What happened was a series of tests with different doctors to prove the presence of a dermoid cyst. There's really a need to remove the cyst because it's continually getting bigger in size and there's a chance that I might go into premature labor if it's not removed. The doctor assured me that it's routine procedure and the baby won't be harmed. I've been praying the rosary everyday, asking for help to make sure that the baby remains safe throughout the whole procedure and even afterwards.

So, how do you lift a sagging spirit? Why...shopping of course! It certainly won't solve the problem of my cyst but I sure do have to look at least presentable while I'm pregnant, right? So, armed with only a small amount of cash, I decided to go to the best bargain place in Manila....Divisoria. Why spend a lot of money when I get to wear maternity clothes for a few more months anyway?

So here are my bargain buys...

Php 130 or roughly US$2.60

Php 180 or approx. US$3.60

Php 100 or approx. US$ 2.00

I bought 2 of these beauties in different colors,

each at Php 100 or approx. US$ 2.00

Php 230 or approx. US$ 4.60

So, if you meet a pregnant lady one of these days wearing any of these outfits, it might just be me! :-)

Hapones?

Overheard on the radio this morning, a radio announcer interviewing Robert Dean Barbers, the General Manager of Philippine Tourism Authority:

Radio Announcer: Saan pong bansa nanggagaling ang pinakamaraming turista sa Pilipinas?

GM Barbers: Maraming turista ang nanggagaling pa rin sa U.S.

Radio Announcer: Ay, ang akala ko po ang nangunguna sa listahan ay ang mga Koreano.

GM Barbers: Pinakamarami pa rin ang galing sa US, sinusundan ng mga Koreano tapos mga Hapon.

Radio Announcer: Ahhh....so mga Americans, Koreans and Japans. (?!?!?!?! )

Rough translation:
Radio Announcer: From which country do we derive the most number of tourists?
GM Barbers: Majority of the tourists come from the United States.
Radio Announcer: Oh, I thought the list was topped by Koreans.
GM Barbers: We get the most number of tourists from the U.S., followed by Korea, then Japan.
Radio Announcer: Oh, so Americans, Koreans and Japans (??!?!?!?!)