You before me

Booklaunch.

”Life pages: The Story of Courage and Grace,” July 14, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This was how the week started, with an invite from the gender and development committee of our institution.

“Join us in promoting health education, adolescent care, and gender equality for young girls just as Dr. Gillian envisioned!”

There was no clue as to what was to be in the program, but when a friend volunteered that it was to be a book launch of a former pediatric resident, we were more than determined to attend to lend support.

Her mom was the guest of honor. Clad in a white dress and a very engaging smile, she thanked the organizers for the privilege of being able to launch her daughter’s book, her “unica hija,” in the institution where she had been trained for pediatrics. It was coincidental and made more meaningful because July 14 was supposed to have been Gillian’s 44th birthday.

The book was born out of her deep love for her children and her wish that they would be able to come into their own, armed with sufficient knowledge to navigate the changes brought about by puberty beyond the physical. It had taken five years for the book to be completed, started around the time the author was diagnosed with a malignancy, written in between chemotherapy sessions, and at times when she was strong enough to do so. No one in their family knew how to go about publishing her daughter’s work, but it all came together with the help of family, friends, and kind strangers.

No one left the hall unmoved. That was how our Monday was.

I eventually got hold of her book, and the feeling of missed chances crept in. The memory of her was vague, as encounters with the trainees were usually brief and in groups. The opportunity to learn more about who they are as persons is given to those who volunteer to be their mentors or hold positions that continually keep them in constant communication throughout the three- year residency program. Her book was a reintroduction of who she was. Her narratives were real and relatable for anyone who has traversed the awkward period of being an adolescent. She dared to write about topics that were sensitive and often missed out in parent-child conversations. Rather than being inflammatory, these came across as reminders of how one should learn to carefully set the stage for the very young who are at their most impressionable period in their lives. It takes not only expertise and courage to put thoughts on paper. Reading through, there was no question about her love not only for her children but also for those whom she had served.

#Permanentaddress

Thursday’s invite was for the institution’s culmination and launch of the road map. The highlight for the afternoon was the handing over of the land title that ensures that we will never be in danger of being displaced. Remembering those difficult days when there was that real possibility was brought back into vivid memory, enhanced by witnessing footage of the protest and the hearings. These went a long way in making us more than grateful that we had people who helped and believed in what our mandate is. Our keynote speaker was instrumental in ensuring that we had the right to the land. As the newly reelected senator, his talk was made more compelling because he chose to focus not on how he assisted, but on how he compressed the matter into something that arose from a misunderstanding between agencies. Listening intently, the first word that came to mind was ”decent.”

What happened during the week may be something that is nothing out of the ordinary for most of you. But through the years, by being less of a participant and more of an observer, I find that being the latter weighs more heavily in how we can learn to view, live, and appreciate life for what it is or what it should be. My lessons relearned for the week that was? Find that precious time to get to know people and connect, no matter how fleetingly, and given that opportunity to help, grab it with both hands. It can greatly contribute to your depth of understanding, not only of yourself, but of the people around you. I sometimes wonder about how some individuals seem at a loss for what to do, or what their purpose is, and let me say that there is no judgment involved in stating this. My 10 cents—learn to feel and be more sensitive. That just might be the lightbulb moment that you might be waiting for. The world isn’t meant for you but for others.