This morning, I asked my 5-year old daughter what the purpose of the heart is. “What is the heart meant to do?” With a bit of egging, she said “love.” That simple and probably innocent answer gave me the realization that one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy is to keep on loving. I’ve spent practically two decades of my life devoted to the study of the biology of the heart, the understanding of its physiology, and the acceptance if its travails in clinical practice. The scientific community has devoted tons of money and effort finding ways to protect, heal, and save hearts. But nothing even comes close to the very simple answer given by this little child. So I have said it many times before and I will say it once again, “my heart will not rest until there are still others out there who will benefit from my compassion and care.”

And maybe that is the very essence of World Heart Month. Not only to simply raise awareness about heart health, but to inspire and move us to advocate for heart care. To go beyond the confines of our comfort zones and reach out to those who need us the most. As Dr. Ed Timbol once said during his commencement speech, “Failure to love…is one of the worst signs and symptoms of heart failure.” That is why your AUF Cardiovascular Institute has gladly taken on its role to provide the best possible opportunities for heart service, training, education, and advancement in the Central Luzon community. 

And on that note, I’d like to make a special request of you. If you manage to bump into my graduates and fellows, spare them a kind word, a smile, a handshake, or a tap on the shoulder. It would mean the world to me for them to get that. As a simple gesture of gratitude for their hard work, gratitude that will definitely go a long long way in keeping their hearts eternally motivated. 

Just when you thought you’ve seen joy, something truly special and unexpected pushes your bounds of happiness and makes you believe in the magic of childhood.

Parenthood. It changes you. It grabs you from within and turns you inside out. It takes whatever negativity there is in this world and melts it into a wonderful heap of pure and unadulterated bliss. And no other being can easily do that better than a child. A child whose worldview is filled with abundant idealism, awe, and excitement. 

May we never lose the child in each one of us. May we always latch on to whatever is good and true. May we always retain the capacity for awe. May we always have something great to look forward to. 

There is too much good work to be done in this world to waste time doing the opposite. So the next time you see a child’s smile, you know exactly what you have to do. 

Go out of your way to make someone else happy today.

I’ve always maintained the firm belief that no amount of personal honor or accomplishment will ever provide the extremely gratifying feeling of seeing your mentees succeed and exceed you. 

I grew up in an environment that fostered a culture of inspiration, where one could not help but become better simply by being in the presence of highly-driven and tirelessly prolific mentors. Society presidents, decorated over-achievers, national leaders, game-changers, trailblazers, rebels and prophets—you name it, they’re all there. Imagine the level of tension as well as entertainment seeing these respected giants in medicine and cardiology not only slug it out with their impressively collegial approach to scientific discourse but their equally thrilling side-banter about the latest showbiz craze, government news, or hilarious personal anecdotes. Their professional achievements are only superseded by their uncanny ability to be honestly transparent and to some extent even downright humorous with their own flaws and inadequacies. This capacity to come to terms with one’s own infirmities seems to even magnify one’s sterling qualities. To me, that is truly inspiring.

“This capacity to come to terms with one’s own infirmities seems to even magnify one’s sterling qualities.”

This subliminal culture of inspiration was ingrained deeply in my mind and heart that it somehow bled into my own style of mentoring. So when I prematurely got thrust into a position of leadership as Training Officer in our small pond north of the great metropolitan manila, it seemed second-nature to me to reverberate the training gems that I fortunately picked up from my beloved mentors. I really had no complex formula to mentoring my fellows. I just clung to one simple principle — I believed in them even before they got around to believing in themselves (much like the theatrics pulled off by the sly but effective Director Fury to the then doubting group of soon-to-be Avengers). And so I grabbed every opportunity to compliment them, pat them on the back, overemphasize their strengths, and grant them the opportunities to discover their untapped potential. 

This doesn’t mean I was lax. On the contrary,  I was sometimes inpatient, demanding, and exacting. In a short span of time moderating weekly conferences, I gained notoriety especially among students, residents and fellows for being the one who asked the hard questions. It seemed like my intoxicating style of questioning was likened to a closed-door NBI interrogation. I particularly blame my mentors tito Monching Abarquez, Greg Patacsil, Rody Sy, Nelson Abelardo, Raul Jara, John Anonuevo, Eugene Reyes, Yobs Punzalan, Tes Abola, and Don Maranon for what I’ve scaringly become today—a mere fraction of what they were in their prime. Kidding aside, I would like to see myself not as a stand-alone and self-accomplished entity, but as an amalgamation of the countless personalities that have jointly shaped my life. 

As fate had it, my time in Angeles was not bereft of equally amazing mentors in the persons of Ed Timbol, Ariel Jocson, Dom Albacite, Mario Garcia and Myrna Reblando. It was as if a template for success was laid out in front of me, and all I had to do was go with the flow. So as I wind down my 5-year stint as TO of our program (the first 2 as aide to Dr. Gab Jocson), I have only gratitude in my heart, most especially to the fellows who have gone through me, for granting me the incomparable honor of meeting and mentoring such good souls. 

So for those who, once in their life, were inspired by someone else, there is no other recourse but to exude and share that blessing of inspiration to breathe life into another. 

Journal Entry: Nov. 17, 2018