“How Can I Help?”

Kung mahilig kang manood ng Medical Drama Series, you’re probably familiar with this line:

How can I help?

This line is from the 2018 Medical drama series, New Amsterdam. I have recently discovered this show habang nagbabrowse ako sa Netflix. And to be honest, finding the show is one of the greatest discovery in terms of browsing the large library of series ng Netflix.

I guess hindi na ako magbibigay ng slightly in depth background nung show, except sa fact na it’s a medical drama show. Baka naiisip niyo isa na namang show katulad ng Grey’s Anatomy o ng The Good Doctor and maybe, in a way, it is pero it has a slight difference in such way that New Amsterdam has a bit more heart in every character and in every characters’ and patients’ story (No offense sa fans ng ibang medical shows. I also watch those shows, pero I guess New Amsterdam won my heart more *peace*). 

***

How can I help?

These are words na madalas sabihin ni Dr. Max Goodwin sa series. Simple, pero ang lakas ng impact. Because how many of us can actually say these words sincerely, ng walang ka-angil-angil, at hindi iniisip kung ano ang makukuha natin na kapalit?

To be honest, ako mismo, hindi ko maalala  kung nasabi ko na ito (well, as far as I can remember…) or if I had said it, if I meant it. Mostly kasi, if tutulong tayo, we would always ask, aloud or at the back of our minds, kung anong kapalit ng pagtulog na ibibigay natin.

Siguro, we can all agree na nabubuhay tayo sa panahon na kahit ang simpleng pagtulong ay hinahapan natin ng kapalit, kung paanong tayo ay magbebenefit. Because, at one point, that’s how we survive in this life. Hindi ba?

And that, I can say, makes me sad. Gaya ng sinabi ng tatay ni JLC sa isang movie, nakakalimutan na natin ang maging mabuti. I am not saying na masama tayo. But we are forgetting kung paano maging genuinely mabuti.

Ako rin naman, in my quiet hours, I often come to a realization, that I cannot help being selfish at times. We all do, aminin man natin or hindi. Pero that doesn’t mean we are bad people. Nakakalimutan lang natin kung paano maging totoong mabuti — sa sarili natin at sa kapwa natin.

The last episode of New Amsterdam that I watched made me write this post. Kasi it hit close to home. It was an episode where natapos or at least nalampasan na nila ang worst of the pandemic. New Amsterdam was at the brink of disaster kasi ubos na yung imbak nilang dugo. That can be detrimental in a hospital setting dahil kailangan nila yun whenever they respond to emergencies and tuwing surgical operations. And so Dr. Goodwin organized a blood donation drive. Ang dami niyang naiisip na racket para humikayat ng mga donors: puppies, buffet prepared my Michelin chef, Broadway performances. Sobrang enthusiastic niya with his ideas, hopeful even.

Kaso, everytime na bibisita siya sa donation drive, umaalog yung location dahil walang pumupunta. Don’t get me wrong, may point naman yung ideas niya to get people to donate blood. Kaso wala talagang dumarating. And the next scene really hit hard.

Sa third visit niya sa donation drive na wala pa rin tao, sobrang naging desperate siya kasi nauubos na yung novel ideas niya para mahikayat yung mga tao. May mga nakasilip na tao sa door and in his desperate attempt to push through with the drive, tinanong niya sila what could get them to donate their blood. Sa totoo lang, ang sakit marining yung sagot sa tanong dahil yun ang realidad na meron ang bawat tao sa bawat sulok ng mundo ngayon.

Everyone was hit by the pandemic, almost all resources have been used, work has paused and unfortunately for some has stopped, students are forced to study at home with parents supervising but also has to do work while take care of the household, and the only thing lang daw na hindi nila naibibigay sa iba ay yung dugo nila. Everyone was tired, everyone was tapped out.

So maxed out that even giving blood to save someone’s life one more time had become so difficult.

Naging mahirap, at some point, ang magbigay.

Dr. Goodwin then asked: So that’s it? People are done giving? He then sighed in defeat and walked out.

That was one of the many scenes in that particular episode that really hit hard.

This pandemic has made us see how much we can give and how much we can all be selfish just to survive. And it’s beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

Sa totoo lang, mahirap magbigay kung ikaw mismo, walang wala na rin. Lalo na na kailangan din nating magsurvive sa panahon ngayon.

I won’t be a hypocrite and say na magbigay tayong lahat, because I know we are all doing our best to survive this new normal with whatever little we manage to have each day. But even if we can’t give what we have, we can all at least try and give what we can, kahit anong klaseng tulong pa yan.

Because you might just be saving someone with whatever help you give.

Giving doesn’t only pertain to monetary means, though money is a huge factor to surviving. Giving can also be a lot of things…

Isang ngiti.

Isang minuto ng pakikinig.

Isang pangangamusta.

Isang sandali na malaman ng kapwa mo na hindi siya nag-iisa.

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Times are hard. Lalo na dahil lahat tayo pagod na pagod na sa paglaban ng kalaban na hindi nakikita. Pagod na trying to survive a day na parang pareho lang ng ibang mga araw. Pagod na dahil parang wala namang pinatutunguhan ang bawat araw ng paglaban. It is one of those darkest nights in this lifetime.

And that alone makes it hard to give… to help.

However, let us remember (and may we never forget especially now):

Help can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers that we are all capable of helping unselfishly with whatever we have (and even without incentives.)

So, next time someone asks, or call you or look for you,

hindi naman siguro masama tanungin How can I help? and sincerely mean it.

For all we know, that could illuminate another person’s way as we look forward to normal times in these darkest hours of our lifetime.

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Kaya para sa iyo, aking mambabasa,

paano kita pwedeng matulungan?