Samboy shows signs of emotion

MANILA, Philippines – PBA legend Samboy Lim isn’t giving up the fight to someday regain the senses that were compromised when he suffered a cardiac arrest and was without oxygen in the brain for about 23 minutes nearly two years ago.

Lim’s former wife Lelen Berberabe said his family remains hopeful of regrowing the cells that will bring back his sight and speech. The Skywalker, 54, continues to undergo physical and occupational therapy without fail. Berberabe brought Lim for his annual check-up at The Medical City yesterday as it’s been a year since his angioplasty procedure.

“On his birthday last April, Samboy was able to sit up all afternoon and that was a positive sign,” she said. “He smiles and cries, showing signs of emotion. That means he’s sensitive to what’s going on around him. His eyes are open but he still can’t see. His feet are now deformed and unless the brain is able to process the senses to control his muscles, it will be difficult to reverse this atrophy. We’re addressing it through therapy.”

The check-up was to assess his situation with expert opinion. “There are indications of progress,” said Berberabe. “Sam is slowly swallowing on his own. The therapy seems to be working. God is looking after him and prayers from his relatives, friends and fans are helping.”

Lim’s sister Coy and niece Dani arrived from Pittsburgh last Friday to visit for a week. They were in Lim’s condo unit at Wack Wack the other day with another PBA legend Allan Caidic. Visits by relatives and friends lift Lim’s morale, said Berberabe who is in charge of his round-the-clock treatment with their daughter Jamie.

Berberabe said the passage of the Samboy Lim Law two weeks ago was a timely development.  Rain Or Shine coach Yeng Guiao ended his term as Congressman of the first district of Pampanga on a high note as his pet bill lapsed into law after approval by the House of Representatives and Senate.

President Aquino would’ve made it a law earlier if he signed the measure but under the Constitution, a consolidated bill approved by the Senate and the House is ratified even without the Chief Executive’s signature for as long as it is not vetoed after a 30-day grace period.

Guiao lost a bid for a second term as Congressman in the May elections but remained true to his word of pushing for the passage of the law that requires public and private basic education schools “to provide their students with life support training through the use of psychomotor training in an age-appropriate manner.”        

Guiao authored House Bill No. 5891 last June and named it after Lim who collapsed on the bench during a basketball game and was admitted Dead on Arrival at The Medical City. Extensive brain damage could’ve been avoided if only CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) was administered in the gym. There were at least 20 athletes at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig when the tragedy happened and some of them were former PBA players like Lim. But nobody knew how to apply CPR. Lim was revived in the emergency room of The Medical City but was in a coma for over a month.

Guiao said Lim was the rallying point in pushing for the bill. It took Lim’s tragedy to open the eyes of lawmakers in requiring CPR training in schools.

Under the law, the school principal or administrator is mandated to coordinate with the Department of Health for assistance in providing competent instructors for psychomotor training which refers to hands-on practice to support cognitive learning. Republic Act No. 10871 calls for “instruction to include programs which have been developed by the Philippine Heart Association or Philippine National Red Cross using nationally-recognized, evidence-based guidelines for emergency cardiovascular care and psychomotor training to support the instruction … (and) as far as practicable, basic education schools shall incorporate basic life support training as part of the schools’ comprehensive health and physical education curriculum.”

Within 90 days from the passage of the law, the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Health, will formulate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of the Act. The implementing rules and regulations will take effect 30 days after publication in a national newspaper of general circulation.