sPontaNeitY at its beSt

this thursday
7-9 pm
red hill park ampitheater
7484 vineyard ave., rancho cucamonga

bring your banigs, blankets and lawn chairs
featuring Neon Nation - 80's band
free admission

kita kits tayo after work!

My brother-in-law's coworkers organized a fundraiser before Andre became an angel to help pay the bills.  If you think you missed your chance to help, it's not too late!!!!

A Transport Show for a Cause
(proceeds will go to the hospital bills.  just cause angels go to heaven, doesn't mean they take the bills with them )

this Saturday the 28th
14:00-23:00
HSBC Electronic Date Processing Inc. Parking Lot
Commonwealth (next to Manulife building)
P50 fee

Bring your friends, meet my sister at the show!  She doesn't look like me coz she's the cute one, i'm the pretty one. hahaha!  Punta kayo!!!


http://joyjoven.multiply.com/journal/item/9

here's an email from Dad to the Doctors at Polymedic:

Dear Drs. Ramirez and Bañez,

Thanks for the kind words and support you extended to us during our most challenging times. Indeed, you were with us during that hard-fought battle for the survival of our little Niño Andre. 

It was truly amazing how our very tiny baby was able to endure for 38 days the onslaught of virulent infections like congenital seposis, bacteremia, fungal candidemia and also myocardial dysfunction and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus.

It was both a sad and painful experience.  But the sadness and pain were easily drowned by the rare but wonderful experience of the outpouring of love, prayers and support not only from family members and relatives thousands of miles away but from friends as well--nursing mothers whom we do not even know who willingly shared their breast milk, people going around to collect breast milk, people donating blood or telling us where to source blood, consoling words and thoughts that made us strong, physicians and paramedical professionals who tried to save the life of our baby, and financial assistance that made our burden light. 

To everyone who stood by us, who shared in our sadness and pains--we will be forever grateful.

It is in trying moments like these where one realizes why God gave us our families and friends.  It is in trying moments like these where one discovers that indeed God's yoke is easy and light.

I am privileged to have been able "to take care" of our second grandson almost on a daily basis.  It made me extremely happy.

Niño Andre's brief sojourn is over but not without a tale of a difficult battle gallantly fought to tell.  He was with us for a while but he will be with God forever.  I am not complaining.  I am not even crying because tears will only put out the light of his candle in heaven.

Our loss is heaven's gain.

the maternal grandfather

     My Dad was the ultimate runner.  He was in charge of coordinating the supplies and medicine that Andre needed at the hospital.  Sometimes that meant buying his meds in the middle of the night.  He would be the one to get updates from the doctors, pick up and deliver blood and breast milk, he took on a 24 hour, on-call job to make sure everything was in order.  He was at the hospital daily, although he did not get to see the baby because that privilege of going inside the NICU was only for mom and dad--not grandpas.  

     I was with friends in San Diego last memorial weekend when I got the phone call that the baby was in critical condition.  My Dad got to the hospital first, he was there when the doctors were trying to resuscitate Andre for 2 hours.  While Dad was witnessing all these first hand, I was walking along Gaslamp district talking to my Kuya (in San Jose) and my Ate Joy (in Manila) on the phone, trying to keep her company while she and her husband drove to the hospital.  The only update that we got from Dad in the hospital was that the baby was "back on the ventilator."  We eventually hung up when Ate arrived at Polymedic Hospital.

     I thought being "back on" meant the baby was fine.  It was when I was getting ready to sleep after a hundred something miles and a few hours drive from SD to Rancho, when I got this text message from Ate: "Our Baby Niño Andre is gone, but we know he'll be our little angel and he is happy coz he knows that we love him so much. Thanks for all your help and prayers. - 5/26/08 2:53am"   I called my Kuya right away and we called Manila, Ate was holding her baby in her arms driving from the hospital to La Funeraria Paz, with Kuya Pat (ate's husband) and my Mom.

     That night, I cried myself to sleep.

     For days I felt guilty for not being there physically to support my family when they needed me.  To help run errands for the viewing, to give the hugs, to pass out the tissue (although I would probably use them all up), to keep my nieces distracted and to answer their questions about their baby brother. 

     It gets easier everyday especially when I see that Ate's coping well through webcam, multiply and phone calls.  I have shed tears these past few days but hey, at least I'm toxin-free and as healthy as a carabao.  Thanks for all your prayers, I am happy to have a nephew who is now an angel.

 

To most listeners, this phrase is just that.  It’s as if all that’s being said is that of the finality of the situation.  But to some, the phrase takes on a different meaning. 

 

“Anak, did you do the dishes?”... “It is done.”. . . “Anak, did you do your homework?” “It is done.” “Anak, would you die for me on the cross”… “It is done.”  Everything has a reason and a plan and there is a sense of comfort in knowing that it was, in fact, part of the plan.

 

On the afternoon of May 26, we received word that baby Niño Andre has left us.  After days of being stable and things seeming to get better, things got shady.  The situation had turned for the worst and baby Andre engaged in a battle for his life.   After what seemed like endless attempts to resuscitate and machines and ventilators whirring in the background, it happened.  Our little fighter had received his orders and passed away.  God apparently had bigger and better plans for him.  It is done.

 

Confused as to why it has to happen, the phrase gives me a feeling of humility and am humbled by how I have no control over what is planned.  Evidently, I have absolutely no understanding of the “Grand Scheme of Things”.  Frankly, it’s better that way.  I have no use for that knowledge and wouldn’t know what to do with it. 

 

It is done.  Do not question but rather be glad.  Find solace in knowing that the will of the Father has been fulfilled and therefore, it is RIGHT.  Hope for the best and know that IT WILL BE FOR THE BEST . . . It is done. 

 

And now, a few words. . .

 

My family would, again, like to thank you all for your support and prayers.  You guys helped us to endure and to continue on with the struggle.  The transition from grief to acceptance was, somehow, easier to bear, and I know that if it were not through your prayers of strengthening it would be a lot harder.  Continue to pray for those that are still in the same situation that my Ate was in and that they don’t lose focus on what all of this truly means.  

 

Chip & Gelo: With Kuya and your ate Dimps not being there, you have taken on that great role of being buffers.  Even with school and everything else, you have made yourselves available to whatever Ate needed help with, and trust me, every little thing counts.  I hope mom and dad didn’t stress you out too much. =) 

 

Kuya Pat: thank you for being supportive and a loving husband and father.  You have shown great character in stepping up to the challenge and taking on the immense responsibility in dealing with the kids and taking care of your wife.  You have truly been a blessing to Ate and our family as well.  I pray that you’ll continue to have reserves for the rest of your family’s journey.

 

To Mom & Dad, you have, yet again, continued to show just how much you love your children.  I know that seeing one of your kids go through what Ate went through is extremely difficult and yet, in these trying times, you have displayed nothing less than that of great courage, strength and resilience.  My wish is that someday I, too, will have the same courage to withstand anything that befalls my family and will continue to be strong for my children.  You have given me something to aspire to emulate and you will forever be the measure by which I shall be judged and believe me, the bar has been set high.  We love you both.

 

To Ate Joy:  If it’s true what they say that crying keeps one healthy by releasing toxins, then Dimps is as healthy as a carabao.  I may not know first hand what you have been, and are going through, but I know that I will be here for you.  The past few weeks have been a test of your character and I strongly believe that you passed with flying colors. 

 

From this experience, take with you the knowledge that you are surrounded by people who love you . . . very much.  You have been showered with a lot of blessings and I hope that, in spite of the recent turn of events, you never lose focus on all the good things around you.  I believe that you will continue to be the best wife for Kuya Pat and the best mom for Tricia and Rianna.  Know that we, as your family, will always be here for you to shower you with love and support. 

 

And lastly, to my nephew, Niño Andre:  You will forever be a part of this family.  I know that you are in a better place and I’m glad that your hardships are over.  It just sucks and is a little hard to digest that you will miss all the parties, get-togethers, outings and adventures with family and friends.  I want to let you know that you are loved by many and will greatly be missed. 

 

I think I’ll be selfish for now and claim you as our own Little Cherub.  I believe that you will be watching over all of us, and I pray that you take special care of your sisters.  Guide them and protect them as they go through life every single day.  Mom, dad, tito’s, tita’s, kuya’s and ate’s love you very much. 

 

Put in a good word for us, ok?

 

Love lots,

-Allen-

since i am unable to compose my own entry just yet, here's a link to my sister's blog for our little angel. 

Niño Andre Caancan Joven
born a fighter, now our angel
April 18, 2008 - May 26, 2008

http://joyjoven.multiply.com/journal/item/3

cremation at la funeraria paz
May 28, 2008 2pm
mass followed by butterfly release

Here's a few stolen moments of my sister with his little fighter Niño Andre.
Notice his eyes trying to open for mommy.

http://joyjoven.multiply.com/video/item/4/video_00014.mp4

Happy monthsary Andre!  You're almost there, just a few more weeks and we'll be able to get you out na.  We love you!

Niño Andre was only 1 month and 8 days old on earth, but will spend eternity in heaven. 

Here's a link from mommy joy's multiply on baby's final moments with us: http://joyjoven.multiply.com/journal/item/3 

the following blog entry was originally written on May 16th:

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
Here again is the story... my ate was hospitalized for 40 days in the Phils. because of 'Placenta Previa Totalis' (painless bleeding tendencies in pregnant women).  As a result of that, she had to have multiple  blood transfusions AND had to undergo emergency C-Section procedure.  The result is pictured on the left, a beautiful baby boy named Niño Andre (her first boy) born on April 18, 2008 [expected delivery date was July 22nd]

As most of you already know, he has had only 7 months of gestation ('premie baby') and weighed just 1.14lbs. Currently he is still in an incubator of the hospital's NICU and requires a lot of antibiotic medication, blood, milk and supplies.  As of this posting, he has been in the hospital for close to a month now and the hospital bill has ballooned to a whopping $10,000 (yes dollars).  The doctors don't expect him to be out for another 2 months still (until he reaches at least 4 pounds) and our family is in dire need of your help. 

The above link will take you to my PAYPAL account set up to receive donations.  Any amount will be extremely helpful.  Although we might have enough to last us, blood donations are still welcomed as there are also a lot of people who could use them.  I'm not aware of anyone breastfeeding yet, but breast milk is also needed. 

I know that with all the things happening in Myanmar & China, you might be stretched out too thin and I sincerely hope that there's still a little bit of something left for my nephew. If you are in the Philippines and would like to send a check you may get in touch with my dad:

Wally
cel: 0917.984.7339
home: 933.0446

Below, too, are links to RedCross and UNICEF worldwide accepting donations for the victims  of recent disasters just in case you were feeling extremely generous. 

As always, prayers are FREE, extremely powerful and ALWAYS welcome!!

Thank you guys...VERY MUCH!!

-dimps-

Links below will take you to donation pages.  For more information, visit their homepage:

UNICEF
American Red Cross

I had this posting lying around and forgot that I had it "Saved as Draft".  It's a bit delayed but here it goes. . .

A big thank you to all of you who came out to donate blood, thought of donating blood but couldn't make it, thought of donating blood but weren't allowed, thought of donating blood but were scared, thought of volunteering your friends to donate blood, actually volunteered your friends to donate blood, thought of donating blood in general, and even those of you who just THOUGHT. . . of my family and I and included us in their prayers.  

Your thoughts & prayers far outweigh the donations we have received and for that I am eternally grateful and extremely elated to have known people of your caliber. 

We're not out of the hole yet, but, from all of us in our family (with our new addition, baby Andre) . . .

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

(You guys have no idea how happy you've made me!)

Dear Baby Andre (happy 3rd weeksary!),

I got updates from your Lola Cecil today.  She said you are consuming a lot more breast milk, and we're getting a lot of mommy donors to help supply your milk needs.  Since you can't consume formula yet, we need to collect milk from family and friends and deliver those to the hospital.   I hope they take you off of tube feeding and the respirator soon, I'm sure those tubes are pretty annoying.

I told your Lola Cecil about the overwhelming response and support that I have been getting from friends here in the States, she said they have a lot of support there too.  We both agreed that most precious and touching help that we are getting are those which money can't buy.. like the breast milk and the blood donations.

Speaking of blood donations, we initially borrowed 11 bags from the Red Cross but replacing those would mean we will need to give back a total of 22 bags (twice the amount that we borrowed) and counting.  We will need more because you are also undergoing blood transfusion while you're trying to get better and bigger in the NICU incubator.  I hope you get bigger fast so the rest of the family can visit and carry you.  Only mommy joy and daddy can go inside the NICU, I'm sure you heard the nurses talk about that a million times.  Eventhough lolos, lolas, titos, titas and your two ates are not allowed to see you just yet, know that we are very excited to finally hold you and play with you. 

I got 3 blood donors this week (yay!) and a lot of support from friends.  I have a few more blood drives coming up in Chino Hills next week and then again in Claremont in 2 weeks.  I have a friend who is willing to give platelets too (which I think each platelet donation is equal to 2 blood donations).  I have friends of friends who are being tapped to help in the Philippines, either to give blood or give assistance thru Red Cross connections.  People that I haven't even met yet.  But you really shouldn't worry about the outside world, just concentrate on gaining weight and we'll take care of the rest.

I'm sure you'll be okay, there are a lot of people praying for you and I'm sure Lola's watching over you from heaven. 

I'll see you soon.  We love you.

Love,
Tita Dimps

let's play a game...
name that commercial and what's the previous/next line..
pag nasagutan na lahat, iuupload ko na yung flag ceremony. haha may incentive!
don't forget to number your answers.
bawal maggoogle kailangan from memory lahat. =) ang mandaya maniniknik!

1) great things start from small beginnings growing up..

2) i remember yesterday the world was..

3) seiko seiko wallet ang wallet na..

4) i'm gonna knock on your door ring on your..

5) ..may bagong design (classic design), at bagong kulay (pretty and bright), all around ang motor, may 8 hour timer (power saver)..

6) ..i really love what it does to me, sweet, sour and salty..

7) you wanna know what happens in a..

8) ...cheesy cheese curls you're my favorite cheesy treat

9) labadami labango..

10) kay tagal mo mang nawala babalik ka rin..

11) ngipi'y protektado, panalo sa presyo..

---

12) sinong best friend mo doon?

dear diary 13) sat beside me today he's so cute sabi niya i'm pretty kaya lang i'm 14) i eat too much kasi eh mula ngayon goodbye 15), goodbye 16), goodbye 17)..haaay, goodbye 18)

19) di lang pampamilya pang..

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

 

1. i hate folding/folded paper. i will hold on to paper for hours (maybe roll it up nicely) just so i don't have to fold it. i especially hate folded corner of books. it's weird but that's just me.
2. i don't eat beans. i don't like the texture when it breaks down in my mouth even as a kid. doesn't matter if it's ulam beans or the sweet picapica ones.
3. i don't touch my food. when i eat french fries, i only touch the very tip, eat everything except the part that i touched. that being said, the five second rule does not apply to me. if it falls on the table, it's going to the trash. only exceptions are when i just washed my hands or i have hand sanitizer handy or if i'm really starving and i only have chips for food and no way to wash my hands.
4. i can't stand the sound of straw rubbing against the lid of a fastfood cup. that just gives me goosebumps. it has the same effect as the fingernail and blackboard.
5. i can only sleep in one position. because i have scoliosis and was advised to sleep on my right side. i have a hard time sleeping flat on my back or on my left side. i guess i just got used to it.
6. i despise snakes. it doesn't matter if they are toy snakes, if they look real, i still hate them. i always have dreams of me sleeping on my bed and snakes crawling up my legs. the sight of them (even pictures or on tv) will not only give me major goosebumps, but will instantly make my legs itch like crazy. it's almost like i'm allergic to them.
7. i'm missing at least 8 teeth. when i was twelve and had to get braces, the ortho had to take out four good teeth [pangils] to make room for fixing the rest of my mouth. just last friday, an oral surgeon had to take out all four of my wisdoms, the two bottom ones were growing sideways. they had to put me to sleep (general anesthesia = good stuff) and was knocked out for about 45 mins. when i woke up, i was so drugged that i couldn't remember anything that happened for about an hour after surgery. what i did, how i did it, how i got home...they were all a blur. the stories before the drugs wore off are now classic "high" dimple stories.

i tag you. how random are ya?