A Love Story of a Different Kind to Warm Everybody's Hearts

Yes! I got Larry Pay's (batch '66) note for Ms. Cruz.
Emmy Manlapig (batch'66) had also sent a note for Ms. Cruz.

It's another example of how Ms. Cruz transcends international boundaries
and time(batch)lines.

My batch may be slow on these things but i'm sure we'll think of
something for May 4.

Siyanga pals, have you heard from gabby buenaventura and efren torralba.

regards,

manny (canillas)
 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To: prep65

Dennis sent a check yesterday thru the ABS-CBN messenger. He insists that I hand it over to Miss Cruz. Galing kay Ed de la Rea, Tony Aytona, at sa kanya yung P7,000.

Ana B.,  okay talaga ang e-mail. Ang bilis magmobilize ng response. And really,
thanks to you. You really deserve recognition for this. Keep it up. By the
way, did you get in touch with my mother for my contribution?

Ling in New York
 - - - - - - - -

Brenda in Hawaii sent this note in a card:

    You're really an angel for doing all these things -- coordinating the e-mails and
funds for Miss Cruz.

    My thoughts and prayers are with her. At this time, I cannot contribute monetarily
but I hope to give a little later.
     . . .
    I do remember her as a girl scout leader.
    I realy look forward to all the items forwarded in the net. When I get to work eary,
I am able to print out the messages and reading them later brings joy in my day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Subject: messages for Miss Cruz

Dear Ana,
Tonio's chaperoning Girl Scouts'senior troop leaders/chaperones at
camping in Pangasinan. Received and printed messages. Will send these to
Miss Cruz tomorrow through her niece.

Maraming salamat sa inyong mabilis na pagtugon. Napakalaking tulong ng
lahat ng inyong ginagawa sa kanya. We're trying to fast-track the
processing of her papers so she can get the much-needed and
much-deserved retirement money. Dr. Malu Doronila is following up at the
Central Administration.

Teret L. de Villa     (Principal of UPIS)
- - - - - - - - -
To:prep65

I spoke to Miss Cruz on the phone last Friday. Feel na feel kong masakit this time.

A: "Ma'am, tumawag ako kasi gusto ni Jimmy na i-date ka for lunch."
M:  Mahina ang boses: "Ay, di pa ako puede, sa third week pa ako puede."
A:  "Kumusta ka na, Ma'am?"
M: "Eto. Masakit-sakit ang katawan. Alam mo, natanggap ko na yung ipinadala ninyong card."
A : "A, oo Ma'am, pero alam mo na ang contents nun pa, di ba?"
M : "Alam mo, kanina nagdadasal ako, hindi naman ako nagsasalita, parang nili-lip synch ko lang, aba, humihingal ba naman ako. Tinigilan ko nga at dinaan ko sa tulog!"
A:  "Ma'am, o, huwag ka na gaanong magsalita kung masakit, tatawag na lang ako uli."

So you can imagine how relieved and happy I was when Leni called me up yesterday.

L: Nakausap ko si Miss Cruz kahapon. Tuwang-tuwa siya sa iyo. Ang gaan daw ng bibig mo pagdalaw sa kanya.
A: Ibig sabihin, tsismosa! Kumusta na siya?
L: Naku, buhay na buhay! Looking forward nga dun sa lunch daw with Jimmy.

Hay, Salamat Po!
 _____________________________________________________________________________
April 23, 1998 : Day 30
-  - - - - - - - - -  - - - -
Dear Ana,

 My address is Yakal St., Villa Lourdes Subd., Lipa City, Batangas.  Sorry
for the late response.  I have not been checking mails lately because of
the strike in our hospital.  But it will be resolved soon and then I can
chat with Prepians '65 more often.
 I've learned about Miss Cruz.  I hope and pray that she's ok now.  May I
still be of help? Tell me how.

 -Raul D.

 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear Prep '65 classmates:
        Di ba nakakatuwa, ano? Hindi lang tayo ang connected, parang buong Prep na! I like the line that said :  " it  would seem that being associated with up prep is the best
thing that can happen to anyone's life."
                                                                                                                                        Ana B.
 ___________________________________

I plan to host a sub-web page in our webserver.

I forwarded one of your updates to boo chanco.  forgot to sign my full name
so he must have thought that the message came from vic.
 
 

To:   VERGEL O DAVID
Subject:  miss cruz

dear vic,
thanks for the e-mail on miss cruz. actually, some of the guys in our batch
are trying to do the same thing for miss cruz. we met last saturday at
jerry barican's condo and we agreed that our class will help. among others,
eddie umali said he will get some of his workers at pop cola to donate
blood to the red cross for miss cruz. we also agreed to have a fund raising
effort going but we just have not been able to figure out how. i think what
your class did, open an account where anyone can contribute anonymously if
desired, is a good idea. maybe that is exactly what we should do. reading
the responses from your class members from all over the world is very
heartwarming. it would seem that being associated with up prep is the best
thing that can happen to anyone's life.
best regards,
boo chanco

________________________________________________________________________________
 
 

At 10:22 PM 4/21/98 EDT, you wrote:

Dear Boo,
I hope you remember me.  I am Jimmy Gonzales of UP Prep 65. I am an avid
Standard fan and this is the first newspaper I read when I wake up in the morning.  I basically like the roster of columnists of the paper and your column is one of those that I read, as well as those of Calix "Toti" Chikiamko, a school mate of mine at La Salle.

Do you know that you can register in the UP Prep alumni registry? I had UP
Prep registered in the worldwide web of school alumni.  And our class has its own web page which I hope you will be able to visit through Mila Astorga-Garcia's webpage.

Have you heard about Miss Flora Cruz and her battle against the big C? She
needs financial help right now and our class is doing our share of contributing for her treatment and hospital expenses.  But the expenses just
keep on piling up and there is always a need for more funds.  Perhaps you can
write a column about her and maybe a call to all Prepians, her former students, to extend financial help to her.  Miss Cruz touched a lot of lives
and I am sure that we are what we are because of her contributions to our
well-being.

Oh, a word of unsolicited advise to President Ramos.  Many are speculating as to what he will do when he steps down on June 30 of this year.  I have a
suggestion to make.  My daughter is a member of the La Salle Zobel girls
basketball team in high school.  This team is a perennial champion in the
WNCAA and Women's Basketball League.  The President's grand daughter
(Zembrano) - I forget her first name), is a member of the grade school girls basketball
team, also a perennial champion in their age group.  Since the President
is an avid sports fan, maybe he can apply for the position of team manager for the
grade school and high school girls basketball teams of De La Salle Zobel.  He
is a winner and these 2 teams are winners also.  Perhaps their combined
winning ways can bring honors to school and country and this could give
President Ramos something worthwhile to do, on the side since I am sure he
will be a worthy senior advisor to the next government.

More power to you and looking forward to a column on Miss Cruz.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

of course i remember you. who has not heard of how well you have done in
the world of business? and i have heard of miss cruz too. actually, our
class had a small group meeting at the condo of Jerry Barican last saturday
and we have agreed to help. we are just taking a little longer to shrug off
the intertia. our class has not done anything together since graduation,
not even to celebrate our 25th year. it is only now that we are getting
around to renewing old friendships. i was planning to write a short note
for miss cruz in my column at the Star. it is heartwarming to see how the
prepians are rallying for one of their own.

best regards,

boo
_____________________________________________________________________________
April 24, 1998: Day 31
To:prep65
Subject: Boo Chanco wrote this
in today's issue of the Philippine Star, in his column, Demand and Supply, p. 25

                                                                Algebra teacher

        If there is one high school teacher I will never forget, it has to be Miss Flora G. Cruz. You see, Miss Cruz was my algebra teacher and this was the one subject that almost made the thoughts of college beyong reach. In other words, if I had a less understanding and a less patient teacher in Algebra,  i would never have made it out of UP Prep. Well, Miss Cruz did something really amazing  again some 30 odd years after those high school days at Padre Faura. She managed to get UP Prepians from different class years together again. All of a sudden, we are sending e-mails to each other and even holding small reunions. Seeing and hearing from each other was  a good enough reason for this resurgence of camaraderie. But we have an even better one: Miss Cruz. Miss Cruz has one tough equation she's trying to heroically solve and UP Prepians have come out from everywhere to help her. It isn't an algebraic problem. It's cancer. You hear about cancer all the time but when it hits someone you know, someone who has touched your life, it is simply different.
        Cancer is probably one of the ultimate problems anyone can face. It is not just medical, it is emotional and it is financial. The medical aspect, we can do nothing much about. But we have roles to play in the other two. UP prepians who want to help can donate blood, visit or deposit to an account that different classes have opened to help cover the expenses of cancer treatment.
        Prepians can get in touch with Ana Urbina through her e-mail address, abu@nfa.gov.ph for details on how they can help. She is sort of organizing the effort for Class 65.

(Boo Chanco's e-mail address is boo@bayantel.com.ph)
 - - - - - - - - -
Manny,

AnaB just called in from St. Luke, 6:30 pm, requesting me to relay the
message that Ms. Cruz needs one unit of type A+ blood for use before the
chemo routine.

regards,

ver

_______________________________________________________________________________________
April 27-30, 1998: Week 6
 - - - - - - - - - -
April 27, 1998: Day 34

Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 14:50:30 -0700
From: Manny Canillas
Subject: (vdavid) Re: blood donation

Vergel David!!!

hi! i remember you. what i don't remember is if you're the brother of
Vic David of class '64.

anyway, like boo said, ed umali is looking for donors from his staff.
but benjie santillan donated 450 ml at UNILEVER on 4/24/98. guilly
lazaro
had the donor's card picked up from benjie and sent it to me.

i called up st.lukes to find out how to process this.

someone from the blood bank there said that they are not affiliated with
Red Cross.  and that it will need doctor's request, processing/screening
and whatever.

what benjie gave me was his "donor's membership card".  will it help if
i just have it sent to ana?
 - - - - - - -
To: Manny Canillas
Subject: Thank you for the prompt response

Ang sabi ni Miss Cruz noon sa akin, sa St. Lukes' blood bank dapat pupunta yung donor niya.

Alam mo, nung mag-donate ako ng blood last year for my classmate, sa Makati Medical Center Blood Bank naman  ako nagpunta.

Ma-find out nga kung ano ang racket ng mga ospital sa ganitong need.

Pero siguro e sundin na muna natin yung derecho sa St Luke's blood bank para walang red tape. Lalo pag ganitong wala na sa schedule ang needs ni Ma'am. Yung April 29 dapat, naaga to April 24!

 - - - - - - - - -
To: Boo Chanco
Subject: Miss Cruz has read your Algebra article

When I called up Miss Cruz at the house to tell her about your article, I was told that she went to St. Lukes. So I went to see her there. I had a copy of the article with me.

Siempre iyon ang una kong sinabi. Kaya daw pala atat na atat siyang makabasa ng Star nung umaga pa lang!

Di iniabot ko na. Nagsalamin na po at nagbasa.

Ang sarap namang basahin, sabi niya, tapos iniabot sa kapatid at pamangkin niya para ipabasa din.

Iyon daw ang second article written about her by a former student. Gerry barican wrote one in the Malaya, pero di daw siya nabigyan ng kopya noon.

Tamang-tama ang timing ng article mo!

May pumunta nga raw nurse at tinanong kung gusto niyang mag-attend nung patients' forum that day. Ang topic ay depression. Ang sabi ni Ma'am, "Ayoko ngang mag-attend! In high spirits nga ako eh, tapos baka hawahan pa ako ng depression!"

Maraming salamat, on behalf of Ma'am and Class '65. Vergel David and Jimmy Gonzales both sent me copies of  your replies to their e-mail. I especially like the line: " it would seem that being associated with up prep is the best thing that can happen to anyone's life."
 - - - - - - - - - - - -
To: prep65
Subject: Another reunion with Miss Cruz at St. Lukes
Last Friday before I left the office, I called Miss Cruz para i-kuwento yung article ni Boo Chanco na lumabas sa Phil Star.
Aba at nasa St Lukes daw. I was quite alarmed kasi wala sa schedule so I just called up the hospital to confirm if she is confined but did not ask to be connected to her room. I thought, whatever it is, I will learn about in person and not over the phone.
Ang gulat ni Ma'am nang dumating ako doon! Paano ko raw nalaman?
I told her about Boo's article. "Kaya pala atat na atat akong makabasa ng Phil Star kanina pa!", she exclaimed.
Iniabot ko ang kopya. Binasa. (Si Ma'am, hindi emotional. Ako, tina-type ko pa lang yung article ni Boo for broadcast to you  e umiiyak na dito sa office.)
"Ang sarap basahin!", sabi. Tapos iniabot sa kapatid at pamangkin para mabasa din nila.
Second article na raw iyon na sinulat ng student niya about her. Meron din daw noon si Gerry Barican sa Malaya, pero di siya nabigyan ng kopya.
That done, tinanong ko na kung bakit wala sa schedule siyang nasa ospital.
Nung CBC daw niya April 21, ang findings e mababa ang WBC, so na-injection siya nung tig-P5,000 per injection (dati isang ganoon lang, ngayon, apat na raw), tapos she went for check -up of the WBC nung Friday nga. Aba, ayaw daw siyang pauwiin ng doctor, dahil okay nga ang WBC, bumaba naman ang hemoglobin. So kailangan ng transfusion. Ayun, waiting nga for a blood donor and type A+ availability.  Sus, ang alam ng prep66 e sa April 29 pa ang transfusion!
I called Vergel para maki-e-mail to Manny Canillas, e wala sa office niya. So I called Dennis to please e-mail Vergel. Pinatawag na lang niya sa St Lukes, nakausap naman namin pareho ni Ma'am. Nadidinig ko pa nga, panay ang tawa ni Ma'am nung nag-uusap sila.
Nakalibot ako sa iba't ibang lugar na napuntahan na niya for this reunion-Singapore, Korea,
Australia, at USA. Advice nga sa akin, huwag mag-ipon, mag-travel instead.
At siempre pa, more chismis about prep. Si Robert Sayson('66) daw, ang napangasawa e si Alice Kuykendall('68). May off the record chismis din about 2 persons in class '67.
Hindi talaga sila ready for confinement! Wallet lang ang dala, sabi ng sister niya. So they went out to buy food. Dati nagbabaon sila.
Pagbalik may Kenny Rogers saka Kimchi packages. Yung pagkain ng hospital, rellenong bangus. Sus, standard 3rd Friday menu daw iyon doon, observed Miss Cruz, ayaw na niya kainin. She insisted that I also eat, so sabi ko, sige, akin na lang yung mga ayaw niyang kainin.
(Iyo na yang Kenny, Ma'am at kahapon e may nakantiyawan kami sa office na nagpa-takeout niyan!) So I took the rellenong bangus (kinuha niya ang ilang raisins, at nalalasahan daw niya ang sweet, pero nang malasahan ang Maggi sauce e ayaw na.) Maalat daw yung skin nung Kenny. Sa akin din napunta yung mango, ayaw niya iyon at inuubo siya. Hati kami sa coke, diet naman e. Wala kasi silang extra na baso, di nga ready.
Kaya pala kami ang unang kumain, para busog na siya pag lumabas yung beef barbecue tsaka beef stew ng Kimchi. Bawal sa kanya yung beef, gustong gusto pa naman daw niya yung taba ng baka saka litid. Magkakarne daw sila noon, iyon ang negosyo ng Tatay niya. Although they are from Marikina, they have nothing to do with the shoe industry except na nagbibili sila ng inasinan na balat ng baka to the tanning industry.
Naiinip na ng kahihintay, e wala pang aksyon sa transfusion. Tinawag ang nurse, si Angel. Wala  pang doctor na mag-i-insert  nung IV. Walang fellow, kasi unscheduled. Finally, yung trained head nurse ang nag-appear, at authorized kuno mag-insert nung IV. Sabi ni Ma'am sa sister niya, "Yan yung nurse na masakit mag-inject."
Lumabas ang paraphernalia. Gauge 20 (Or was it 22) needle, for one.
Ma'am, masakit ba 'yan? Hingang malalim lang daw.
So nakita ko na yung sinasabing permanent opening sa vein kuno. Sus, iyon pala e may parang implanted silicon na doon itutusok yung needle. Pero-1-pi-prick pa rin yung skin! Nung ubod nang laking karayom na iyon!
Ni-disinfect na ang surface using yung giant Q-tips. Hingang malalim. Ops, mali ang timing. Hingang malalim uli, at tsak!
Ano bang hindi masakit? Kagat ang labi at nakapikit pa at malalim na buntong-hininga with the wish na, Ayos po sana!
E ayaw dumaloy nang maayos! "Ayoko ng panatang makabayan," ang inis na sabi. Yun pong kasabay niyo ma'am sa kabilang kuwarto, naka-panatang makabayan din, sabi ng nurse.
E ano pa nga ba? Di panatang makabayan nga! "Sino ba kasi ang umimbento ng needle na iyan?", sabi in frustration.
Ma'am, ako yata ang may kasalanan kung bakit panatang makabayan ka! (Ang suot ko kasing T-shirt ay stylized Phil flag ang design.)
Hihintayin ko pa sana dumating yung blood, pero ini-init pa raw. Pumayag yata yung hospital na kinabukasan mag-do-donate yung napakiusapang brother-in-law ni Mrs. Abiva.
Hindi sila puedeng matulog at kailangang binabantayan pala yung daloy nung IV. Buti na lang at they were looking forward to Jullie Yap Daza's  show na guest si Willie Nepomuceno.
Pagdating ko sa bahay, may message si Ataboy, panay naman daw yata ang party ko at ginagabi lagi nang uwi, hindi na makausap. (He, he, he!)
- - - - - - - -
April 28, 1998: Day 35

AnaB,

I was telling my older son, Karlo, the story of our rally for Miss Cruz,
and it turns out, teacher pala niya sa UPIS in Math & Computer Science. At
alam daw ni Miss Cruz na anak ko siya. Pinaforward niya ang mga emails at
sinulatan na niya ang mga classmates niya. Please tell her when you see her.

Eds
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
May 4-8, 1998 : Week 7
Hi,
I visited Miss Cruz last Friday with 3 batchmates [1 balikbayan - Elen
Camacho]. Birthday nya kasi kahapon. She was in high spirits. Said "gel,
tignan mo yung sunog na ginawa mo . . . salamat to all" She was quoting from
the e-mail messages ana sent. And showed us the column written by Boo
Chanco.
As this will be a protracted battle that needs monthly maintenance, I talked
with Willie Nep about a show. this time we get professional handlers for
production and marketing. he said he was very willing. his past anxiety was
that if those who mount a show are first timers - it may put to risk the
small start up. He said the production part was easy. what we need are
sponsors. that's where the profits come .
I suggested a hot topic right after proclamation of winners - along the
lines of "nadaya ako" which willie said he long wanted to really do. plenty
of materials in that. He said I could approach Nanette Inventor to join him.

ANA/JIMMY : next steps -  if you like, let's meet to see how we could put
our batches together. What do you think? We will need prepians who:
1. can get sponsors [to bank roll plus profit]
2. can sponsor
3. may save us [or reduce] the cost of a good  venue
4. negotiate with production [any showbiz mgt type?]
  expect expenses for light, sound, stage, people, etc.
5. handle publicity for the show
6. design & print posters, tickets
7. Coordinate TICKET SALE [ sa batches, ticket outlets, etc]

If it is too tedious, we could get an event manager but that could eat up on
the funds raised.

So if you wish to explore the possiblity, I am available anytime except May
27-June 13 [I will be out]  Willie thinks after June 30 proclamation will be
ok to schedule a show. The crying losers will still be loud and the antics
could be spoofed. He is also ok for other topics and dates. Just to let him
know if we want to pass on the topic of post elections.

gel
 - - - - - - - - - -
From: vdavid@mail.landbank.com
To: abu@nfa.gov.ph
Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 19:24:13 +0800
Subject: B-day

Had a bouquet of flowers delivered alright...pero...don't worry hinarang ko
na lang si chit at vic.  Just finished greeting her by phone.  Told her
that I was just spreading the goodwill that others had done when my mom and
dad were confined in the hospital.  Noticed that flowers had an uplifting
effect on the spirit.

    Miss Cruz celebrated her 58th birthday yesterday with her traditional "Make your own halo-halo" party for family and close friends.

        Present were her family, her friends at UPIS and UP, and her high school class '56 (binaligtad na '65!) with their 83-year-old class adviser!

Jojo Casaje-Marcelo called. Susan Umaly-Guanio arrived just  as I was leaving with the UP friends.

        Tinawagan ko siya nung umaga, para i-greet. Inutusan ako na i-find out sa St. Luke's kung na-bleed na yung kanyang donors for tomorrow. It took a while bago ako nakatawag uli, laging busy ang kanyang phone.

        Finally, nasabi kong okay na ang 2 units of blood  niya. Sinabihan akong pumunta dun sa traditional celebration niya. How could I resist?

        I arrived at 5 pm. She was resting after entertaining a group of guests who arrived at 2:30 and left at 4:30 pm. Nainitan siya sa salas and was trying to make up for it in her airconditioned bedroom.

        Kaso, di pa nagtatagal e dumating na ang UPIS staff so she had to get up again. Pinilit na niya kami kumain ng goto muna with tokwa't baboy. Pahinga lang nang konti, banat na sa halo-halo! Sarap!

        Hindi ko pa nauubos ang first serving, dumating na ang 6 carloads of Class 56 with the class adviser, dala ang lahat ng kakainin, from pancit to Andok's lechon manok to macaroni salad, etc. Naku, parang  tayo sila. Panay rin ang hagalpakan! May love team din. May mga inaalaska rin. Pero hindi natin sila kasing-ingay. At saka spoiled ang mga boys nila, sinisilbihan ng mga girls! Iginagawa ng halo-halo, ikinukuha ng pagkain, at dinaldalhan ng inumin. Doon kasi sila sa balkon pumuesto, mas spacious. Maluwang ang front yard, kasi doon dapat magtatayo ng bahay niya si Ma'am.Nag-meeting sila para sa kasunod na lakad, birthday nung isa. Outing yung binubuo.

         Ganoon din, inulit ang mga dati nang istorya, pati mga punchline. Tayong tayo talaga!

        Tampo ng isang guy kay Miss Cruz: Bakit nung si (I forgot the name) ang dumating, tumayo ka? Nung kami, hindi?

        Yung isa pang guy, nikuwento kay Ma'am yung isang classmate nila na may CA of the colon daw. Tapos, siya naman ay natatakot daw at the prospect of a triple bypass to be done on him next week sa Heart Center. Nag-compare notes sila sa sakit ng magpa-angiogram.

        Nakapag-hapunan pa kami ng mga inihaw na isda at baboy with rice, at naka-ulit pa sa halo-halo! Si Ma'am, maganang-maganang kumain, pati nung inihaw na baboy!

        Hintayin ko na raw si Susan. Di sige. I have not seen her since high school. Naku, ganoong-ganoon pa rin! Same ponytail, same shy manner, same soft voice.

        Pagkasakay namin sa car niya, iyak na agad yung friend niyang si Dr. Malu Doronila.

        Ini-drop off siya sa Innotech, tapos nihatid ako nina Teret de Villa sa bahay bago bumalik sila sa campus residence nila.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From: "J. Enrique C. Garcia" <jecgarcia@email.msn.com>
To: <abu@nfa.gov.ph>
Subject: Ms. Cruz
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 23:43:21 -0700
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4
Return-Path: jecgarcia@email.msn.com

Dear Anna,

How can we help?  Financially I can give a little via my brother in Manila.
Also, remember Ms. Leticia P. Cortes?  She is my cousin, and her sister
Nelia is still with the UP college of medicine aside from being head of the
National Poison Control.  I am sure I can convince them to pitch in
specially medical services if needed.

Thanks...

Butch
- - - - - - - - -
Dear Jose Enrique,
I remember you as you appear in the Annual, the Prepian!

Thank you very much.

For financial help, the most efficient way is to deposit  directly to her peso savings account at  any BPI branch.

Account Name: Flora G. Cruz
Account Number:  3083-1395-27
Account Location: BPI Loyola Branch

For blood donation, go to the St. Luke's Medical Center Blood Bank and donate any type blood. Just tell the blood bank that it is for Miss Cruz. She usually needs 3 units of blood before a chemo.Her chemo occurs every 3 weeks.

Miss Cruz can be reached at the home of her sister in

Address    Block 2 Lot 3
                     Severina St.
                     Genesis Village, San Isidro
                     Cainta, Rizal
Telefax#    6465099

She is staying with her sister Emana and brother-in-law, Willy
Nepomuceno.

She just celebrated her 58th birthday last Monday, May 4, so you can always greet her a belated one.

She just had her chemo yesterday and left the hospital today.
She answers phone calls.You can talk to her. Or you can always fax a message, too.
 

As soon as their e-mail at home is activated, I'll give you the address.
                                                                                                                                  Sincerely,
                                                                                                                                    Ana
________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Ana,

Just had a long conversation with Ms. Cruz... thank you for giving me her
telephone number.  By the way, is there any way you can Email me a small jpg
photo of her.  I remember her, but I cannot picture her in my mind.  I also
am sending you a photo of my family... just in case you have a laptop and
can show it to her.  It was so nice talking to her.

Taken last Christmas... the baby Frangelica, aka Frankie 4 is in the arms of
TR (Thomas Robert O'Neill, III) our eldest at 21 and Sean at 19 is beside
him.  My wife is Angeles Papa aka Geling (Heling) and is 18 yrs old, and
then there is myfatself.  Have since lost weight... If we look short it is
because TR is 6'4", and Sean 6'1".  What else???  if the boys look like they
have been partying a lot, it is because they have...

All the best to you and yours...

Butch aka jose enrique cortes garcia
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

May 25-29,1998:Week 10
 

Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 11:08:07 +0800
Subject: hello from the Mangonons

dear ana b.
we're back!!! we arrived almost midnight last night and i would have
loved to join you at taste of l.a. but alas when we passed about that
time there were no more cars or were you guys parked at the back??  so
has elmer left already?  sayang naman ano.  we slept at 4am but alas we
woke up again at a little past six and it's 11 am and i'm still wide
awake.  actually i'm feeling dizzy now but frank says i should email you
first to let you know we're home.  hope you got news about our reunion
in lax with nine other classmates.  sayang, we will miss that other
reunion on sunday - i would have loved to meet the rest of the
classmates then but frank has to start working again or we'll starve!!
hehe!!  we'll write again soon but now we'd just like to thank you for
sending us messages from home - it made our days!!!

by the way, sixto s. and willie tenorio sent money for miss cruz - i'll just send it to you.
see you soon i hope.  much love, pat m.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 10:12:49 -0700
From: Manny Canillas <manicani@bigfoot.com>
Reply-To: manicani@bigfoot.com
To: "Ana B. Urbina" <abu@nfa.gov.ph>
Subject: Thanks! It was ...
References: <1.5.4.16.19980526090202.41772ac4@nfaco>

really nice to be meeting some of you 65ers again. Just like
in our 66ers reunion, I also felt young again. Iba talaga pag
prepians ang nakakasama.

A few of us are planning to visit Ms. Cruz tonight (8pm) at
St. Lukes.   Would this inconvenience her? But, pls. don't
tell her yet. I'm worried that the traffic might put a damper
on things, w/1 coming from NAIA and another from Makati.

regards,
Manny
 
 
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 14:23:47 +0800
Subject: RE: MS. FLORA CRUZ
>From Lotus Notes user: Jose Y Mundo

A group from PREP66 visited our teacher, Ms. Flora Cruz last night, 28 May
1998 at St.Lukes Hospital at about 8:00 P.M. and had a very enlightening
exchange on various topics, ranging from mathematical theories to language,
dialects, and vivid recollection of fond memories from way back. Yes... Ms.
Cruz was very much into the discussions that before anybody realized, it
was 11:15 P.M. and it was getting too late for both the patient and the
visitors. She was in high spirits and enjoyed quite a few laughs and was
visibly pleased in seeing her former wards showing support. She will check
out from the hospital today, 29 May and go back home. Last night was time
well spent, a mere token gesture of gratitude to a person who in one way or
another help shape our intellect and a humble act of moral support so much
needed in times like this.

Please be informed that PREP CLASS66 has opened an account for
contributions to help Ms. Cruz in her ordeal. To make it convenient to
everybody, a deposit may be made to any Metrobank branch with the following
details:

Account Name:       JAPAN66 (internal bank coding)
Account Number:     3-223-05350-6

This account was established at the Metrobank, Samson Road branch c/o our
classmate, Josie Angeles Panganiban who happen to be the Bank Branch
Manager. All contributions going into this account will then be remitted to
Ms.Cruz via  a system and proper accounting shall be given.

The parting words from Ms. Cruz last night was her expresssion of gratitude
and wholehearted thanks to everyone who have extended a helping hand in her
time of need. Let's keep it going. Thanks!!

Warmest Regards!!

JOEY
 
 
 
 

- - - - - - - - - - -
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 09:44:18 -0700

. . .

Tell Miss Cruz that she's always in my thoughts and prayers.

I'll meet you guys anywhere in the world in the world sa year 2000!

Regards,

Ed
 
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From: "Joey T. Solidum" <jts@skyinet.net>

Subject: Ms. Cruz
Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 13:33:28 +0800

Thanks for your message. I went to St. Lukes Hospital to visit Ms. Cruz, but
unfortunately, she checked out in the morning of Friday.
Anyway, kindly tell her that we do not have human albumin as of the moment,
and I hope I can get it the soonest.
When will we have another meeting(reunion)? You can just call me or e-mail
me. Thanks and regards to everybody.
 
 

- - - - - - - - -
Week 12: June 8-11, 1998

Subject: Ms. Cruz' Email Add....
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 02:20:48 -0700
 

For all you guys out there, do drop her a line, if not just look for an
electronic get well card or the sorts that you can send...

Ms. Flora Cruz' Email add. is:

procyon@pworld.net.ph

take care...

Butch and brood...
- -  - - - - - - -
To: "J. Enrique C. Garcia" <jecgarcia@email.msn.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 15:39:17 +0000
Subject: Re: Ms. Cruz

I am glad you and Freddie are trying to raise funds for Ms. Cruz. She can
definitely use some help since Ana said she has to go to the hospital much
more frequently now. I think Ana is probably also the best person to talk
about her prognosis, because I couldn't get myself to bring up that topic
during my last visit. I also haven't met any relatives.

. . .  in terms of spirit (fighting and otherwise), intelligence
(almost total recall of people, places and events, technical topics, and
current events) emotional balance and the other more important things she
is an improved version of the Miss Cruz we once knew. "Ang gaang kausapin"!
The two hours went so quickly. It was only because my only daughter was
waiting for me at her driving school that I forced myself to leave. I am
already planning to visit her at home with Jose Osteria.
 

What we can all do I think is keep praying for her: 1. to keep her spirit
up, because that's a major variable in cancer treatment;, 2. not to be in
too much pain, and 3. not to be discouraged by the financial aspect of the
treatment (although I could not see/sense any trace of discouragement while
I was there...

Felix

- - - - - - - - -
From: "J. Enrique C. Garcia" <jecgarcia@email.msn.com>

Subject: Re: Picture of Miss Cruz
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 14:18:47 -0700
 

Dear Guys,

I am completely misunderstood...my fault.  The primary picture that I need
is that of Ms. Cruz as we knew her.  If you can send a secondary one, like
before she got sick, that would be nice.  Also, I would want a brief of what
type of carcinoma she has and the prognosis.  Additional figures emphasizing
how little she got as a retirement benefit (somehow I think she got the lump
sum) would be helpful. I want to send a special message appealing to the
class for regular contributions.

You know when I saw the photos of the classmates, somehow a lot of things
came back to me.  Previously when I saw their names, it meant nothing, it
took a photo to connect the names to the faces and then mentally to events
(our katarantaduhan) and experiences.  So please do me this favor, scan the
old year book or something...

Freddie has already opened the account at the bank where he works (First
California) and I will go there next week to be co-signatory.  If I get
Freddie right, the first telegraphic bank charges or perhaps even all
subsiquent fees will be waived.  So that should maximize the donations to
Ms. Cruz.

I want to jog their memories of her, and then show how physically poor she
is, and it is just her spirits that are strong... and to those in the US, a
small contribution a month may keep her going.  Anyhow, I will figure it out
when I get it.

BTW where did she teach after UP prep was closed?  Sorry but bear with me,
and also this is ASAP, as the sooner I can get it out, the better.

Many thanks...
Butch

- - - - - - - - -

June 10, 1998

Dear Ana B.

Also, could I have your Landbank a/c # again. I have an anonymous
donor who was touched by Miss Cruz story.

FELIX
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you for the prompt reply. Depositing P5,000 right now from anonymous
donor.
                                                                            Felix
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June 11, 1998
To: prep65

Tinawagan ko si Ma'am para sabihing may balance uli ang account natin dahil nag-deposit kahapon ng P5,000 cash  yung anonymous donor ni Felix .

Ang balita naman niya -- kumain siya ng 8 na siomai kahapon, dala nung isang bumisita sa kanya. Wow, Ma'am ang dami nun, ako hindi ko kayang kumain ng walong pieces (2 orders) ng siomai. "Ako, kaya ko!", tawa pa niya.

Kaso, for the first time in four weeks, lumakad daw siya sa yard kasama yung bumisita, para tingnan yung construction site (bakeshop yata ng pamilya). Ayos daw, she maintained her balance. Kaso, pagbalik daw, naku kumakabog na ang puso niya! Kaya itinaboy na niyang umalis ang bisita at nanlalambot na siya!

Okay na raw uli ngayon after a good night's sleep. Perhaps it was also good for my heart, na-exercise, sabi pa.
                                                                                                                                            Ana B.

Urbs,

Paki-advance nga ng equivalent ng $100, and I will pay you later.  Salamat.

Best kay Ms. Cruz.   I will continue to pray for her.

Nabisita ko ang China page mo.  Ang ganda ng mga pictures.  Bakit wala ka doon
sa mga photo?

Ata

Date: Sept 11
To: prep65
Subject: Update on Miss Cruz
 

Site for installation of more advanced chemotherapy equipment to be acquired from Germany courtesy of an American donor already identified: Broadway Centrum daw.
Will be in place within the next two years. Naka!

So her doctor is considering bringing her to Germany instead. Kukuha daw ng sponsors. Sabi ko, madali lang siguro mag-raise ng funds kung pamasahe lang.

 Kung guinea pig si Ma'am, baka minimal na ang German doctor's fees.

Yung sustenance daw sa Germany ang malaking gastos. Kung mag-ho-hotel nga naman.
The clinic is 20 minutes from the Munich airport daw.

Can we trace Prepians in Munich na puedeng mag-ampon kay Ma'am sa kanilang bahay while she undergoes treatment dun sa clinic? I think this is a very doable first step, di ba?
- - - - -

St Georg Hospital in Germany has a website at http://www.klinik-st-georg.com
Please visit it.
 

Ana,

Sama ako ng kaunti kapag kailangan na ni Miss Cruz ng pamasahe.

Hindi ko nakakalimutan ang utang ko na istorya sa iyo. Pasasaan ba't
magagawa ko rin iyon.

Say hello to the gang for me.

Ed

New e-mail messages will be uploaded as they come. Visit often. Maraming, maraming  salamat sa lahat!!
 

<< back to homepage

<< back to top

>> Farewell Miss Cruz