2 weeks ago
11
A four-year-old tragically passed away, allegedly due to pneumonia from secondhand cigarette smoke.
In an episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” mom Richelle recounted the heartbreaking loss of her son, Zayn.
It all started when Richelle noticed changes in her child. He lost weight and turned pale.
Even more concerning, Zayn also started coughing.
“Medyo may halak po siya sa dibdib. Malalim po ‘yung paghinga niya,” she said.
[“He had to take deep breaths and had a crackling sound in his chest.”]
When she brought Zayn to the doctor for a check-up, it was discovered that he had pneumonia from airborne sources.
Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by various microbes. Patients have trouble breathing because their lungs get filled with phlegm.
It was found that Zayn developed pneumonia due to secondhand smoke.
Although Richelle does not smoke, she shared that many of their relatives do.
In 2023, their family traveled to General Santos City and Zamboanga City in Mindanao to celebrate the visit of Zayn’s Lola Veronica from Saudi Arabia.
“‘Yung madalas po naninigarilyo ‘yung lolo ni Zayn, asawa ng kapatid ni Lola Veronica,” Richelle said. “Halos siguro mauubos ‘yung isang kaha kada araw. Nalalanghap pa rin namin ‘yung binubuga.”
["Zayn's grandfather, the husband of Grandma Veronica's sister, smokes frequently. He probably goes through almost a pack a day. We end up inhaling the smoke.”]
Richelle added, “Hindi kami lumalayo kasi nahihiya nga kami. Kami'y nakikituloy lang.”
["We don't move away because we feel shy. We're just staying with them."]
Lola Veronica then shared that Zayn had been coughing even before the family flew to General Santos. He had also just recovered from a fever. The grandmother also said that she made sure Zayn was far from their smoking relatives.
“‘Yung brother-in-law ko naninigarilyo ‘yun. Kung magsigarilyo ‘yan siya, malawak man din ang lupain nila. Nasa malayo man siya.” she said.
["My brother-in-law smokes. But even when he does, they have a large property, and he goes to a far-off area.”]
Lola Veronica added, “Basta ang ano ko, hindi siya ano sa smoke ng brother-in-law ko. Hindi ko siya masabi na exposed ang bata.”
[“My point is, I don't think my brother-in-law's smoke affected him. I can't really say that the child was exposed.”]
Zayn continued to live in Mindanao for two months. Lola Veronica said she had a kubo built for Zayn so that he wouldn’t be able to interact with the smokers.
Inhaling cigarette smoke is very dangerous, especially for those with weak lungs and immune systems. Zayn seems to be especially vulnerable — Richelle said that he had always been a sickly kid.
“Hindi po siya kumakain ng mga solid food. Everytime po pinapakain namin siya ng solid food is umiiyak siya. Nag-re-rely lang po siya sa milk,” she said.
["He doesn't eat solid foods. Every time we try to feed him solid food, he cries. He relies only on milk."]
Moreover, he was prone to getting pigsa, or boils.
"Like every two months may pigsa. 'Yung paulit-ulit na pagkakaroon, ang sabi ng pedia na cause kung bakit mababa ang immune system ng bata.”
["He gets boils every two months. According to the pediatrician, this recurring condition is one of the reasons why his immune system is weak."]
Zayn’s passing
When Zayn returned home to Tanay, Rizal from Mindanao, his family saw the signs of trouble. Zayn was then hospitalized. After several days, the four-year-old suffered from a cardiac arrest.
“Na-revive siya. Lumaban si Zayn,” Richelle said.
["He was revived. Zayn fought hard."]
However, Zayn was also likely to develop brain damage after the cardiac arrest. He was brought to the ICU, and it was discovered that he had Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or PARDS.
According to doctors, Zayn’s ordeal may not be only because of secondhand smoke, but for a variety of reasons. Zayn may have other sicknesses or health conditions; the shape of his head is also not normal.
Eventually, it was found that Zayn was not just suffering from pneumonia, but aspiration pneumonia. This is a lung infection that occurs when food or liquid is inhaled into the lungs instead of being swallowed.
“Nag-cardiac arrest po si Zayn. Kinausap ko ‘yung asawa ko na sabi ko tama na. Huwag na i-revive si Zayn kasi parang lantang gulay na po kasi siya,” Richelle said.
["Zayn went into cardiac arrest. I talked to my husband and told him that it was enough. Let's not revive Zayn anymore because he looked so weak, like a wilted vegetable."]
“Antayin na lang na mag-stop ang heartbeat niya. Once na mag-stop ang heartbeat niya, hindi na po siya ire-revive,” she added.
["Let's just wait for his heartbeat to stop. Once it does, we won't revive him anymore.”]
Richelle also said it was a difficult period because everyone was celebrating New Year, whereas she and her husband saw their child struggling with his health.
Faizal said, “Nawala si Zayn nu’ng birthday ko. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko ipoposisyon ‘yung sarili. Pero inisip ko, siguro gusto ni Zayn na masaya. Kung nandito pa siya, sasabihin niya, ‘Don't be sad, Papa.’”
["Zayn passed away on my birthday. I don't know how to compose myself. But I thought, maybe Zayn wanted me to be happy. If he were still here, he would say, 'Don't be sad, Papa.’”]
Richelle cried, “Hindi ko nagawang magpaalam. Sobrang excited pa naman sana siya makauwi kasi may regalo siya na hinihingi sa amin ng Papa niya. ‘Yung kitchen set.”
[“I didn't get to say goodbye. He was so excited to go home because he had a kitchen set waiting for him— the gift he had been asking for from me and his dad."]
Richelle is still grieving her son, and is looking back at their time with regret.
“Sobrang sakit sa pakiramdam. Sana ako nag-alaga sa anak ko. Sana hindi siya namatay,” she said.
[“It hurts so much. I wish I had been the one to take care of my child. I wish he hadn’t died.”]
Aftermath
It has been more than a year since Zayn passed away, but Richelle and Faizal are still paying off their hospital bills.
Richelle said, “Ngayon po may balance po kami na nasa 800,000, ‘yung hospital bills. ‘Yung doctor's fee is nasa 300.”
["Right now, we still have a balance of 800,000 for the hospital bills. The doctor's fee is around 300,000 pesos."]
As she and her husband are call center agents, they admit that they were not able to give Zayn checkups with an immunologist.
She wanted to come forward with her story because she saw online that children were suffering from pneumonia.
The couple now also gives their love and attention to their new child.
“Since may baby na kami, nagkaroon kami ng hope. Pero nandun pa rin ‘yung pain,” Richelle said.
["Since we have a new baby, we have hope. But the pain still remains."]
Faizal said they're sure to take their second born to the pediatrician regularly.
Richelle also calls on those who are able to give financial assistance.
“Sa meron pong bukal na puso at nanonood, humihingi kami ng konting tulong pinansyal,” she said. “Nakakahiya man kasi malakas pa naman ako, kaya naming magtrabaho ng asawa ko. Pero kasi hindi namin kayang bayaran lahat.”
["To those with kind hearts, we're asking for a little financial help. It's embarrassing because I'm still strong, and my husband and I can work. But we just can't afford to pay for everything."] —JCB, GMA Integrated News
