Samboy upright in wheelchair

MANILA, Philippines - It’s been over a year since PBA legend Samboy Lim suffered a heart attack on the bench during a basketball game and slowly, there are positive signs of recovery as he continues his battle to overcome a lifeless condition where his body was without oxygen for about 23 minutes.

On April 1, Lim turns 54 and his former wife, lawyer Lelen Berberabe, said the other day she remains hopeful of a complete recovery. Lim was confined at the Medical City for two months before moving into a two-bedroom condominium unit at Wack Wack, about a 15-minute drive from the hospital. He receives round-the-clock care supervised by Berberabe and their only child Jaime.

“Sam is now able to withstand sitting in a wheelchair for at least eight hours a day,” said Berberabe. “Previously, with Sam being used to lie in bed most of the time, the rehab team was training him to sit up for a longer period of time without his blood pressure dropping.  He used to last for 30 minutes, then 40 and gradually, he can now stay upright in the wheelchair for the whole day.”

Berberabe said getting Lim out of bed in a wheelchair is a big step forward. “This is better for his blood circulation and also prevents bedsores,” she said. “He is also consistently more alert than before, showing signs that he understands us, knows people whom we mention, has memories of events in his life, laughs heartily at funny stories and listens intently to familiar songs.”

No doubt, there is activity in Lim’s brain. When he was admitted at the Medical City in November 2014, doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. He was revived and his body was put in therapeutic hypothermia for 48 hours to prevent further damage to his heart. CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) was not administered on Lim at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig when he collapsed because nobody knew how to do it. For over a month, Lim was in a coma. In the course of his recovery, Lim underwent an angioplasty to address a blockage in two arteries, endured tightness of muscles resulting in the curling of feet and hands and displayed spasticity or involuntary movement.

Berberabe said Lim’s involuntary movement in the mouth has been reduced, especially when he is talked to as his mind now appears to process what is being said. “When prodded, he attempts to lip-talk,” she said. “There was a time in February last year that he could lip-talk a bit but when the involuntary mouth movement appeared, this ability was lost. On good moments, he would try to purse his lips seemingly to form the sound of words.”

Lim began to undergo occupational therapy last November, a positive sign because it is prescribed only when the rehab doctor determines the patient is ready. “If there is not much cognitive processing, it isn’t advisable because the patient will not be able to follow simple commands,” said Berberabe. “So we are very happy with this progression. The first objective is to exercise his swallowing reflex. At first, he would be able to swallow one or two times within an hour, prompted by the therapist. Now, he can swallow around 20 times, showing more conscious following of instructions from his therapist Gale Padua. Slowly, he was also given small amounts of water and then ‘sinigang,’ yoghurt, ice cream and melted chocolate. We are going to try thicker sauces next time like ‘abodo’ and ‘kare-kare.’”

Berberabe said Lim is still being fed through a PED in the stomach and assisted by three nurses on a eight-hour rotation. “He still can’t see or talk but we remain hopeful and are thankful for the improvements he has been showing,” she said. Berberabe said the family is grateful to rehab doctor Mavie Tangco and physical therapists Royson Mercado and Josh Manorahan for their care.

For Lim’s coming birthday, Berberabe said she plans to hold a small gathering of relatives and friends at Wack Wack. “No preps yet,” she said. “We haven’t invited anyone or prepared anything. I’m still assessing if we can take Sam outside the condo for a stroll in his wheelchair. Last year, I used to tell him, ‘Dad, magpalakas ka lang, one day at a time so on April 1, 2016, papasyal na tayo.’ I would tell him that repeatedly just to motivate him. And then, it was only very recently that he could withstand the whole day sitting in a wheelchair so maybe, we can now go out. I’ll ask his doctors if we can do it.”

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland recently suggested, in a text message, to replay the San Miguel Corp. win over the US in overtime in the 1985 Jones Cup on Philippine TV as a tribute to Lim. Engelland, Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma and Franz Pumaren were on the team. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the victory over a US team coached by the legendary Gene Keady of Purdue and led by five future NBA players. Berberabe said the replay would be a wonderful tribute. It would also be an inspiring reminder for Gilas that anything is possible at the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament here in July.

As for Rep. Yeng Guiao’s House Bill No. 5891 to require CPR training before high school graduation, Berberabe said it’s not yet a law. Guiao submitted the bill last June. “The House of Representatives has approved the bill but the Senate still has to approve it,” she said. Guiao named the measure the Samboy Lim Law. The bill seeks to make it mandatory for students in both private and public schools to undergo CPR training at least once before graduation. “Ultimately, we want to make lifesavers out of the youth of today by giving them the training that will make them confident to step up when the need arises,” said Guiao.