I’m a very bubbly & happy person. Nothing gets me down easily. Well, except for love stories that don’t end well. Or just love stories that end, period. Now that really gets on my nerves & can make me break down in seconds. I’m a romantic & I long for happy ever afters. I like happy endings. or rather, happy stories with no endings. Yung to be continued na lang sana. O, abangan ang susunod na kabanata. Mga ganon.

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There’s this couple I met through Kap a long time ago. Ced, a restaurateur, is his basketball buddy & when they’d have resto openings we’d get invited together with a round of of Ced’s other basketball friends. That’s when I first met him & his wife Cez. Pati sa pangalan matching din sila.

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Our friendship didn’t get to develop as they were both busy people manning their businesses & building their family. But the short time that we got to talk, they struck me as a couple so in love even after more than 20 years of marriage (& 7 years dating prior). They are always together, just like me & Kap. And so I developed a soft spot for them & I’d often inquire about them to Kap.

One morning I received a text message from my Kap. He said Cez, beautiful & young -only in her early 40’s, passed away due to heart failure coupled with lupus which they discovered she had in 2010.

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Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem disorder of the immune system. It is an autoimmune disease where the body develops antibodies that react against the person’s own normal tissue. Lupus is not contagious, infectious, or malignant. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. Although people with the disease may have many different symptoms, some of the most common ones include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems.

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Like I said, we weren’t close. I wasn’t their good friend, but I got very sad and shocked upon learning of her very sudden passing.

The thing is, I’m like a sponge & I have a tendency to absorb the feelings around me. When I’m in a happy place I’d be extra bubbly & wired from all the energy surrounding me. But when I’m in a sad situation, mabilis din akong mahawa. There’s a heaviness in my chest that weighs me down & gets me depressed for days. So Kap went on his own the first night as he knew I’d get stangely affected. But I joined him on his next visit. I said I had to pay my last respects to someone I really admired. I had to say goodbye to Cez.

At the parking of Funeraria Paz, going up the stairs, walking through the hallways, like I predicted, my chest started getting heavy. It felt like a dam ready to burst. This is why I try to avoid funerals & hospitals because I always get so affected when visiting people I care about. Seeing Ced so lonely and their photos on the slideshow finally broke the dam & heavy tears fell. Kap always has a hanky ready for occasions such as this. And I made good use of it.

Here is a couple so in love, with so many dreams & aspirations. Beautiful children, a flourishing new business. Then Ces’ life is cut short by an infection in her lungs that started with a 2-week fever & just 2 short days in the ICU. She passed of pulmonary embolism, leaving her devoted husband, a son who just graduated college 2 months ago & is helping man their latest business venture, and 2 young daughters.

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Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the lung’s main artery or one of its branches by a substance that has traveled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). PE results from deep vein thrombosis (commonly a blood clot in a leg) that breaks off and migrates to the lung. The obstruction of the blood flow through the lungs and the resultant pressure on the right ventricle of the heart lead to the symptoms and signs of PE. The risk of PE is increased in various situations, such as cancer or prolonged bed rest.

Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include difficulty breathing, chest pain on inspiration, and palpitations. Clinical signs include low blood oxygen saturation and cyanosis, rapid breathing, and a rapid heart rate. Severe cases of PE can lead to collapse, abnormally low blood pressure, and sudden death.

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On a side note, Ced reminisced while we were talking that Cez told him of her strange dream not of late. In it, she saw a ladder where their new business was going up. But at the top of the stairs was a coffin. Now that really creeped me out. Ayoko na yatang matulog at managinip! :'(

If only you were able to view their photos, you’ll know about the love I’m talking about. Ced & Cez (who also share a facebook account) are really lovebirds. They do everything TWOGETHER so we are really really sad for Ced because he’s the one who’s left behind. He’s the one one who has to cope. He’s the one who will long for his partner, best friend, and lover.

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I hate sad endings. If only there was a forever. But Kap told me it’s not really “The End” for the couple. It’s “to be continued”, because Cez is just waiting for her reunion with Ced. They were after all, a match made in heaven. And there too will they be reunited, their love story will continue -forever this second time around. So mayroon pa ring forever!

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Lord, in as much as it is surely a joy to be in your arms. please give Kap & I more years together here on earth with the children. Take me first, or take us both at the same time. I simply cannot bear a life without him. Can not.

Madami naman hong ibang tao -masasama pa. Unahin Nyo nalang sila. Huli nalang po kami Lord. :'(

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