To pull or not to pull the plug

The occasion was supposed to be a happy one, but it   was inevitable for the guests, composed of sports personalities and media, to touch on Samboy Lim who remains comatose at The Medical City despite efforts to revive him since Nov. 28.

With unconfirmed reports leaking out of the hospital that the life support system attached   to the cager would be withdrawn—if it still hasn’t been done yet—people have started to speculate on what   the next scenario would be.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas consultant Moying Martelino, who had been silently contemplating what   was being discussed, spoke up.

Several years   ago, Martelino disclosed   that he had been in the same predicament as Lim’s   family.

His   wife, Esperanza “Panching” Martelino, suffered two consecutive   strokes which   rendered her   comatose.

Like Lim’s   family, Martelino exhausted every means known to medical science to revive his spouse, even if the   doctors advised him that the strokes had badly damaged her brain.

But   nothing could make Panching wake up from her stupor. Not even prayers. She   stayed brain-dead for five years, until she died.

The five years were   extremely difficult for Martelino and his family and perhaps, for Panching herself. She was 63.

Having gone through the same experience, Martelino said he will not cast aspersion on the Lim family, if they decide to withdraw   the respirator.

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Dr. Abet Parungao, one of the guests in that party, explained that if   Lim is to breathe without the   aid of a respirator, a hole has to be made in his trachea (windpipe) where   the air will pass.

Usually, a patient who remains   comatose without a life support system will also have   to   make use of a colostomy bag, a prosthetic medical device that provides a means for the collection of waste, the doctor said.

He suggested to PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio, who was in the same party, to initiate   a campaign   that will require sports   centers and sports events to   have a medical staff on hand, in case of an   emergency.

“We   should   start being first aid-conscious,” said Parungao. “Maybe we should also start having   clinics where CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is taught. It   could mean the difference between life and death.”

Patrimonio and Jerry Codiñera had to bodily carry Lim to bring him to the hospital the night he had a heart attack.