Samboy on road to recovery

PBA legend Samboy Lim is on a clear road to recovery after suffering cardiac arrest while resting on the bench during a basketball game and admission to the hospital as dead on arrival nearly two months ago. Lim, 52, is undergoing therapy twice a day in a condominium unit close to The Medical City where he was confined until his discharge last week.

Lim is technically out of coma but still has a trache in the neck for breathing and tube in the mouth for feeding. He is able to open his eyes and show signs of responsiveness. Lim’s ex-wife Darlene Berberabe, who has taken charge of his treatment, said the progress is encouraging particularly as the Skywalker can now sit up for at least 45 minutes.

“Samboy is undergoing physical therapy,” said Berberabe. “At the moment, we’re planning to introduce occupational and cognitive development therapy. We monitor his blood pressure carefully so we’re not rushing his ability to sit up, starting with an incline of 20 degrees to 30 to 50. He’s at different levels of awareness. He continues to take anti-convulsion medication. More and more, he is showing control of his senses. He can open his eyes but they’re fixed and frozen, meaning he still can’t see. The positive signs are his eyes move with direction when we call out to him, he smiles, he puckers his lips when we come close to kiss him.”

Berberabe said in the exit interview before Lim’s hospital discharge, doctors wouldn’t take credit for his progress. “They told us it was God’s will and Samboy’s spirit,” she said. “We are grateful to Samboy’s main attending physician and cardiologist Dr. Luigi Segundo who was so meticulous in coordinating with all of his 19 doctors and ensuring Samboy’s heart is strong. He was really patient in making sure the family is updated and that we understand every medical step. Samboy’s recovery has surprised his doctors who told us that what we see in him is entirely his and God’s doing. We are very grateful to the donors who selflessly shared financial help to defray the hospital bill. We continue to raise funds for Samboy’s continuing care.”

Lim moved into a condominium unit with a simulated hospital room last week. “Doctors approved the hospital room that we set up for Samboy with all the medical equipment and supplies,” said Berberabe. “A round-the-clock nurse is with him. Samboy has opened his eyes, has a sleep-wake cycle, smiles at funny stories, cries when it seems he becomes aware of his condition, puckers his lips when he gestures a kiss and follows simple instructions to close eyes, to kiss, to move his fingers and to stick out his tongue.”

Berberabe said while nothing is conclusive, it appears that Lim isn’t paralyzed. “He moves both hands slightly,” she said. “He reacts to our stories. We don’t turn on the TV for him because we’re told that the sound is just noise for him. We play music and make him listen to Joe Cantada annotating his highlight moves on YouTube. We want to make him hear things that are familiar to him. We’re not sure if he’s able to process what we tell him or what we make him hear but we believe that little by little, he’s expanding his level of awareness. On the physical side, we’re guarding against infections and pneumonia.”

Berberabe said visitors are allowed on a limited basis. “Those who are close to Samboy are of course welcome to visit so that he can hear familiar voices,” she said. “We just hope his friends are prepared to see him in his condition. He has lost a lot of weight and it’s difficult to imagine Samboy in his state. We’ve been somewhat desensitized but we’ve seen his progress from day to day so we’re happy. Allan (Caidic) has come to visit and Bobby (Jose) is bringing Br. Eddie Villanueva for a pray-over. This may be a long journey but each step is a step forward and closer to his recovery. We are all happy to see any improvement.”

What recently brought tears to Lim’s eyes was the news that his only child Jamie, 17, passed the entrance exams of UP, Ateneo and La Salle. She is a graduating high school senior at Immaculate Conception Academy, an honor student and a karate champion with several national and international championships.

“Jamie will go to UP Diliman and study Applied Physics,” said Berberabe. “Samboy has been really waiting for the results. When she would go to take the entrance exams, we were there to send her off and picked her up to fully support her. She still plans to continue her karate and hopes to someday qualify for the national team. She also hopes that UP has a karate team so she could contribute to UP sports.”

Berberabe said Lim’s display of emotions is heartening. “It was in late December or early this month when Samboy opened his eyes,” she said. “But we couldn’t be sure of his sight. Sometimes, his eyes would half-open. He could blink and move his thumbs when being prompted. We were all in tears when he gripped Jamie’s hand. We constantly talk to Samboy and he responds. We tell him funny stories and he smiles. We continue to pray for Samboy’s complete recovery and we are deeply grateful to his relatives, friends and fans for their love and help.”