GALA NIGHT July 3, 2021
RESILIENCE, ROSES, ROSUVASTATIN
Resilience, roses, rosuvastatin, with generativity, generosity, geniality -- this is UPCM Class 1971 in Cleveland 2021.
I was
honored and humbled when Luz asked me to join the editorial team of our 50th
Golden Jubilee Souvenir Journal, The Odyssey. Honored because some of my
medical school classmates still have the tenuous impression that I could write,
and humbled because after an absence of 49 years (given I only attended the 25th
Silver Jubilee’s formal events, and joined Class zoom meetings for the past 8
months), my class was still gracious enough to welcome me.
Despite
these technology-aided interactions with my classmates, I boarded the flight to
Cleveland for our 50th Golden Jubilee celebration with the asinine
trepidation of a 75-year old retiree.
The close encounter of the first kind- meaning exchanging “HELLOs”-happened when my wife and I met Enteng, Pong and Elmer as we were about to go into the elevator on our way to our assigned room. At breakfast the following morning, Angie, who thought I looked different (how?, that’s beside the point), kindly invited me to her table, and re-introduced me to Ed, Mandy, Merle, Clem, Rolly, all of whom I remembered and recognized. And they knew me. And I felt welcomed.
Stories filled up the following days. Stories echoing the Personal Narratives in the Odyssey-- about being incapacitated for several months after surgery, about taking care of a spouse while in active private practice, about health challenges in family members; about CVAs, cancers, immune diseases; about metformin, lisinopril, rosuvastatin and ibuprofen. And instead of telling these stories with resignation and regret, they were told with a sense of pride and victory. Amidst all of these stories, Baby’s presence and Vicky’s upbeat spirit kept reminding us that, despite life’s ever-surprising shifting shadows, “life is still beautiful.” And maybe that’s why most of us view these challenges as blessings, life-altering events that altered life’s perspective.
Maybe it’s
the reality of facing one’s mortality, or finally having the luxury of waking
up to 6 Saturdays every week, or both, that one’s priorities are nudged into
the universal virtues of faith, service, legacy, purpose and meaning on
retirement. And the members of UPCM Class 1971 are no different, including the
few who are still in full time practice.
And so more
stories, not about practice or business or positions, but about the joy of
taking care of grandchildren; about the life lessons we teach them, and the
lessons we re-learn from them; and about the blessing of glimpsing immortality in
their smiles, their silliness and their simplicity. And in-between passing ketchup,
or deciding which dessert to hit first, stories about raising goats, tending
rice fields, growing herbs and kalamansi; and stories about roses, hydrangea,
bromeliads, and some more roses; and about the surprising warm feeling of
satisfaction and complete contentment when communing with the earth.
There were also stories of advocacies that continue in retirement: Wally feeding the homeless; Pong ringing the Christmas bell for the Salvation Army; Dante maintaining refuge for sea turtles in his Maryland property; Enteng going on mission trips to Haiti and other countries in need; and Mandy holding his Plastic Surgery charity clinic in Binghamton, NY. And of course, everyone was aware of Ge’s continuing immersion in the UPMASA.
And these virtues were evident during the ordinary, everyday interactions in Cleveland, in what Angie termed as “acts that touches the heart.” Domes and Fel transported classmates with health issues instead of having them walk to La Mallorca for the class dinner; someone reminded classmates to bring umbrellas for possible rain, causing a rush back to respective rooms; and the world-renowned Pat recruited alternates to push Gil’s wheelchair and attend to his needs. Ging worried about Lyds and her baluts’ shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and also patiently called classmates who missed the crabfest in her suite to come and pick-up their share of Maryland crab boxes brought by Gil.
Blue crabs courtesy of Gil
Ce’ painstakingly discovered a shortcut to the gala ballroom for ambulatory-challenged classmates; and the Ohio big four (Ely C., Emolyn, Enteng and Pong) indulged us with a sumptuous Spanish cuisine, complemented with a freshly mixed Sangria to gingerly chase our paella.
Ohio Hosts
And --
although this is not ordinary or everyday -- Emolyn stunned us with sea shells,
which she and her husband patiently collected and exquisitely handcrafted in
boxes for the past 2 and ½ years, and given as a 50th Jubilee
memento.
And so it
was “yesteryear once more,” unabashedly interacting with, and relating to, each
other sans the accoutrements of awards and appointments, publications and
pocketbooks, titles and tenures.
And yes, we had FUN! Like Ge’ rocking and rolling a la Olivia Newton-John in her pink poodle skirt and headband; Merle sinuously entering and exiting during performances; Ed (with my assistance) giving unsolicited assessment of Pat’s Master of Ceremonies skills; the group offering conflicting and futile suggestions on how to improve our Class Chorus performance during practice; and Linnie or Joyce (or both?) attempting to learn the fundamentals of cha-cha from Elmer. And endless moments of laughter, the mostly dubious etiologies of which are better left unsaid. True, we are in our mid 70’s, but we showed that we can still do, with bridled abandon, the things we missed (or were deprived of?) when we were in our twenties. And, fully aware of the unchartered remaining years that the Almighty will bless us with, we strive to, like Thoreau, “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”
During the gala, the Class performed Awit Ng Golden Jubilarians UPMED 1971, composed by Enteng with lyrics by Elmer. With an Opera conductor’s fibrillating intensity, Enteng guided the Class as it sang ‘good night’ through various Filipino dialects, and invited everyone to be joyous with singing, laughter, story-telling, dancing, and to passionately palpate every slice of life.
Afterwards, with piano accompaniment by Enteng, the hauntingly, plaintive “Dahil Sa Isang Bulaklak” performed by Sol on his tenor sax, elicited lachrymose smiles on everyone. It was a fitting celebratory remembrance of our departed Classmates.
All of these, along with Sol’s spunk and Gil’s grit in the face of significant health challenges, imbued in each of us a renewed spirit of belonginess, and strengthened our Class ‘71 bond. The spirit was pervasive such that Mody and others floated the idea of meeting and embarking on other activities periodically, exclusively and independently, as Class 1971. And so it is not surprising that post-Cleveland revealed a freshly found awareness of a possible new identity, “Lakhanbakor,” the First Filipinos’ term for physician-priest, and the namesake of our Class yearbook in 1971. And this became more significant when the Class became aware that some subsequent UPCM classes adopted Lakhanbakor as the name of their yearbook or golden jubilee souvenir book.
Flying back to Texas from what Rhods might say was a “perfect past” few days for me, and what Choy might consider as the first “Balik Lakhanbakor,” these paraphrased words from The Prophet resonated with me: “Seek your friends always with hours to live….not with hours to kill…. In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”
Jesse L. Jurado, MD, FACP, FASN
WHAT A CELEBRATION!
It is the year 2021, fifty years since 1971 when we graduated
from the UPCM. Over the years it did not enter my mind that we will be able to
celebrate this moment. We were all so busy trying to finish something; whether
it is a qualifying examination,
applications, licensing, training programs, specializations, starting a family,
buying a home, relocating, raising kids, sending them off to school, starting a
practice, volunteering, and retirement preparations.
Suddenly in 2020, we were slapped with COVID, closing mostly a way of life as we all envisioned and gotten used to. Scared to travel, to go out, meet people, let alone a reunion. Our hard working, never give up attitudes of our Ohio classmates and the UPMASA Ohio Chapter made it happen. We were able to hug and laugh and chat and reminisce and touch our old friends. Every moment was precious as we recall and made up for many years apart. It gave me a chance to say how much I appreciate and love them, face to face. I also realized that sometimes the chance to know someone better eluded us.
Sol’s performance in spite of difficulties and health scares made me fight back tears and Enteng’s rendition of Amazing Grace is so apt for the moment.
Copy and paste link to your browser to watch the video: https://vimeo.com/572302677
I miss those who were not present and those who went ahead to meet our Maker.
Many in our class became our families in a far away land.
We spent 5 years together, through many uncertain days and nights, many highs and lows, some setbacks and some victories but we graduated together. There is that bond, Class 1971, that we all belong wherever we are.
I hope there will be reunions in the future, though it will not be called our Golden Jubilee. It will be bonuses and flickers of joy in our golden years.
Angelina Espiritu-Alvarez, M.D.
THE PRIDE OF CLASS 1971
EXCURSIONS OUTSIDE THE RITZ
Outside Mallorca after lunch. No, Pong's seatmate is not a classmate.
MEET OUR HEROES
Neither a walker, nor a wheelchair, nor metastatic cancer could deter them from attending our golden jubilee. They taught us that with grit, passion, and determination, any goal is achievable. Vicky and Marco thank their daughter Alethea for driving them from Maryland to Ohio, an 8-hour trip one way.
It was a class reunion to be remembered for a long, long time if not forever. We laughed, we cried, we feasted on food and wine, we sang, we danced, we renewed and strengthened friendships. Did I mention food? After chicken entrees in two consecutive meals, Pong commented: "Baka mangitlog na tayo."
See you at our Diamond Jubilee in 2046! Elmer and I are already working on another original song. Imagine this, I will be bugging you weekly for the next 25 years to practice, practice, practice!
Enteng Velasco, UrBlogMeister
