Memoirs of a Domesticated MD: Senseless

"Everything happens for a reason". That is what I tell myself when life diverts from its normal path and I can't seem to take control of the wheel. Somehow when you tell yourself that, you start to convince yourself that things in your life don't always go as planned and that once in a while you have to let go and let the big guy up there take control of your life.

But what if something as terrible as the violent death of someone you know happens? No amount of reason can justify the killing of doctor who has shown nothing but kindness and generosity to his patients. The first time I heard the news that a doctor was gunned down at his clinic, I was in shock! This is not the first time that such an incident happened here in Cebu. Then when I found out that it was a close friend of ours, I was in total disbelief. I immediately called up my husband, silently hoping and praying that Dr. Abbu was okay. Ross answered his phone I could hear a lot of background noise, he told me he was at the OR and sadly my husband blurted out the words I had been dreading, "Chin, wala na si Dr. Abbu." Those words pierced my heart and the tears just started falling. I had to get up, leave my desk and compose myself. Memories of the last time I saw him flashed through my mind, he had this big smile that would brighten up any room. He would always give me a hug or a pat on the back whenever we would see each other. It is just so sad knowing that he had to leave us in such a tragic way. I often wonder what was going through his mind during those last few moments of his life, and it hurts to think that he might have felt fear when he saw that gun being aimed at him and pain when the bullet pierced his arm and his chest. He did not deserve to die that way, no one deserves to!

There are still questions that might never be answered... wounds that might never heal, a lot of us are still in a state of shock and denial. For others, Dr. Abbu might just be a name on the news, but for those whose lives he has touched, he was a kind person, who always has that smile on his face. He had a good heart and a generous spirit. I would never forget your advice to Ross and me, to always value our family above all things, and to be grateful for whatever it is we have right now. Thank you Doc, it was a blessing to have known someone like you. We might never understand why you were taken so soon, but I pray that you find peace in the arms of our Creator.