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With unconfirmed reports leaking out of the hospital that the life support system attached to the cager would be withdrawn—if it still hasn’t been done yet—people have started to speculate on what the next scenario would be.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