AS Coney Reyes’ character in “Dear Heart” telenovela puts it, “iisa lang ang puso natin, dapat natin itong pakaalagaan.”
This thought, along with the will to survive for her children, and her strong faith in the Lord, were what kept Jeaneth Abenoja going, as she fought the battle called “heart ailment.”
Asked what her thoughts and feelings were when she was first diagnosed with three major blocked vessels and two arteries in the heart that prompted for an urgent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), she said she was scared for her life and for the financial aspect of the operation. Stress was one of the major factors she identified which contributed to her failing heart.
“I just lifted everything up to the Lord. I wrote letters to my family, relatives, friends and co-workers to express my sincere thanks and my thoughts. I talked to my children and spent quality time with them because who knows until when will I be able to be with them and do the things I ought to do,” she said. These were her very words as she prepared for the worst, both spiritually and emotionally.
Hope sprang in 2016 when her doctor introduced the Z Benefit Package for CABG at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF). After passing the pre-authorization process, she underwent the CABG in May 2016. Out of the P800,000 hospital bill, PhilHealth covered P550,000 under the Z benefit package.
“Malaking tulong ang PhilHealth ng maging miyembro ako, bilang kaantabay sa bawa’t pagpapa-ospital at pagpapa-opera. Maraming salamat at may PhilHealth na katuwang,” she said. These are her words of unending gratitude for PhilHealth’s role in giving her a second chance in life.
(Reference: Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas, Head Executive Assistant and Concurrent OIC-Vice President for Corporate Affairs Group, Tel. 0917-8089399)