Luab: Stirrings of hope

IF anyone had foretold that one day I would find myself comfortably seated in an air-conditioned office with needles sticking out of my arms and legs and one or two needles more on my head, I would have said, ‘’no way !’’

I hate needles! The trauma of medical technicians armed with needles weaving in and out of my very thin veins in order to extract blood is the cause of my distaste for needles.

The first words I uttered to Dr. Jefferson Ong, physician/ medical acupuncturist were "I’m scared of needles."

With a twinkle in his eye he said, "You’ve been through a lot (after reading my medical history) and you are still afraid of needles?"

Without any hesitation I answered, "Yes!" Bracing myself for what pain I thought was to come; I got the surprise of my life, when the first needle got in. I exclaimed, "that was it?"

I got a smile from the doctor, who gently answered "Uh, huh! That’s it!"

After ten sessions with Dr. Ong I am sold on acupuncture! I feel great! He holds clinic only on Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the week, he goes home to Tagbilaran City in Bohol where he has his original clinic and his family.

I’m not going to rave about my physical wellbeing, otherwise, I might sound like an ad for Dr. Ong’s practice. He doesn’t need boosting of any sort, least of all from me. Word of mouth has placed him where he is. I didn’t interview him either.

My observation comes from my experience as an English mentor, 16 years of which, were at a strictly all male school. I felt the stirrings of hope for us, when I met this good man.

I stand in awe and am full of respect for young Dr. Jefferson Ong. I hope he will excuse my using the word "young" but at 76 I guess I can plead for a leeway.
The most noticeable thing, that he puts across, is his dedication to his calling, his openness in expressing his faith and his ease in saying the word "God." By the way Dr. Ong follows the path of a Christian and by the time you read this article, he will probably have finished his talk on "reconciliation" at his community church in Bohol. No, he is not a preacher but occasionally, the more mature men in his faith are asked to share their thoughts. How did I get to know this?

I love to talk to people. During my treatments I ask a lot of questions (I guess more than anyone else). The answers I got made me see from the bits and pieces I picked up, the profile of a good man.

Money, possessions and success do not affect him. Definitely there is not a greedy bone in his system. His dream of having one day a Wellness and Care Center in Bohol especially for the poor people is a dream he is working on. I pray to God that the idealism he still has will not be corrupted by the callousness of this world.

Dr. Ong being an avid Christian is really parallel to my being a Christian the Roman Catholic way. It really is so gratifying to see that we believe in the same God and the same tenets. Dr. Ong believes that man with all his weaknesses and sinfulness can always with a "contrite heart" be embraced by an all forgiving and loving God! This belief keeps me safe too. While we exchanged thoughts, I noticed that he doesn’t get intimidated by my age.

At one time without thinking I exclaimed, "I wonder what is still my purpose in life. At 76, I’m still around!" With a quick retort he countered, "Your purpose is not important! What is important is God’s purpose for you." Bull’s eye! In wonder I asked, "Where did you get your values? At home? In school? In your church community?"

The answer I got is private and sacred but I got reminded of a line in a poem which runs this way, "and then the wonder grew, that one young head could carry all it knew!"

Take note dear readers especially my special beloved group of blue eagles, who I hold in high esteem. I have found one more eagle whose wingspread (pardon the metaphor) does soar to greater heights too.

With God’s grace, you youngsters who belong to my special barangay of doers, (and you know who you are) you are our hope and we know that because of you, great things will happen.