Luckily, after a few days, we received the acceptance letter stating that if we were willing to take the risk, we could come to Taiwan but with no guarantee of operation, it would still depend on the results of their physical evaluation, and we may go home to the Philippines even without operation. We didn't have any room for second thoughts, we immediately applied for our Visa, booked a ticket going to Taiwan, coordinated with our local doctors for clearance, deposited the amount needed via wire transfer to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and prayed real hard for the success of our journey.
A few days before our flight, my son was once again admitted in PGH for blood and albumin transfusion in preparation for his upcoming operation. When we were discharged we headed off to my parent's house for our final goodbye's before we left for Taiwan. My brother and sister hugged and me told me how proud they were of me. I have always been the naughty one among siblings, but also the soft-hearted one. My aunt from the U.S. (Tita Teddy), who has been one of the biggest contributors to our fund-raising and had always sent monthly support for my son's medications, also hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I hope we had more time so we could have done more for you". I hugged her back and told her, "Tita, you have done more than enough". I bid her thank you and headed off to my Mom and Dad who were scheduled to follow us after a few weeks. My Mom and Dad, who had always been there through out our journey, hugged me and told me to be strong and assured me that they would be there on the day of the operation.
As days came closer, we had mixed emotions of joy, sadness, and fear. We were happy because finally we had the chance to save our son's life. Somehow sad, because we had to leave our eldest daughter, Angel, in the Philippines since her school had started already. And of course, in any operation the fear of the possible outcome was eating us up.
The day before our flight, we had our last minute preparations. Checking if all the documents were complete, medicines, milk, specialized water, clothes, and practically everything we needed were already in our luggage. I remember how hard I prayed that night. As I looked at my son, I whispered in his ear, "Anak, konti na lang magiging ok ka na, wag kang susuko ha" (Just a little more time and you'll finally be okay, just hold on and keep fighting). I hugged him and went to our eldest, Angel. It would be the first time, for a very long time, that I would not be able to hug her at night. I hugged her real tight and a tear fell down as I whispered in her ear, "Anak, alam kong mahirap pero kailangan natin tiisin to para sa kapatid mo. Wag kang mag-alala at susunduin kita kaagad ha" (I know it's hard but we have to do this for your brother. Don't worry I will be back for you soon). As I lied down beside Angel, looking at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep, I reminisced on all the hardships we've been through. I realized how lucky we were and as I fell asleep, I knew that God has never left our side in our journey.
Morning came, June 26, and as were on our way to the airport, we met up with my Mom and Dad at a gasoline station along the way. As we got to the airport, I pulled out a trolley, hugged my parents, said our farewell, and kissed my darling Angel good bye. We took our leap of faith and entered the airport with the hope that when we came back, our son would already be okay. As we flew off to Taiwan, we lifted up our journey to the Lord, that he may guide us in every second of the day.
We arrived in Kaohsiung Airport around 12:10pm and we met Jay Feliciano, the father of Job Tyrese Feliciano another Filipino Liver Transplant patient, who was waiting for us just in front of the exit door. As we approached him, he welcomed us and assisted us to the Taxi which would bring us to the hospital. We went straight to their dormitory where we met Sweet (his wife), Tita Raquel (his mom), and their little bundle of joy, Job Tyrese. We headed off to Starlight Plaza, where we were assisted by Ms. Ema, the land lady of our dormitory, to our room. As we entered the building she showed us around and gave the keys to our home for the next few months, Room 231.
Jay and Sweet helped us with our luggage and after awhile left us so we could rest for awhile. We met again after a few hours as Jay gave me a brief tour at the hospital grounds. He showed me around and gave me a few tips on where to buy food and other medical supplies we would be needing during our stay in Taiwan. We went back to their dorm and we met Raymond Pascual, father of the other Filipino Family who also had their son's transplant done in the same hospital. He invited us to their dormitory which was just on the 2nd floor of the same building where we met his wife, Caress. They also shared their experience and had to cut the chit-chat short because they had to go back to the hospital.
As we went home to our dorm, we were enjoying the breeze of new hope. We knew that in a couple of days, a new chapter in Raphael Inigo's journey would begin.
