By Alexander GL Quirante, PMA '72
While the rest of her classmates were mostly out in field assignments in Mindanao and other parts of the country fighting communists and Muslim rebels right after graduation from the Philippine Military Academy, she was confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed from her waist down, and fighting out her own personal battle instead.
Such was the case of 2Lt. Sheryl Uy-Cabasan of the Philippine Army and one of the first seven female graduates of the Academy and among the top ten in the Class of 1997. It was just about two months after graduation when Sheryl met a tragic vehicular accident in the morning of June 2, 1997. She was riding at the back seat of a brand new car owned and driven by a male classmate. With another female classmate who was seated at the front beside the driver, they were on their way to report for their first duty assignment at Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.
At one stretch of the highway as they were travelling in a northeasterly direction, the driver attempted to overtake a slower moving vehicle. However, upon seeing a fast approaching vehicle on the opposite lane, he decided to swerve towards the far left side of the highway since he was already unable to swerve back to his lane. The car was travelling quite fast that the driver wasn't able to control it. The vehicle apparently overshot the road shoulder, fell into a ditch, and had turned turtle a number of times ... resulting in a bad and tragic vehicular accident which has somehow change the course of Sheryl's life as a professional soldier just as she was about to embark on it.
Inasmuch as Sheryl was asleep at the back seat with no seat belt strapped on, she was thrown up and down inside the vehicle. When she woke up, she found herself on a stretcher and noticed that she couldn't move her body. She was taken to the AFP Medical Center at Quezon City and was later told by military doctors that she had sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI), with a broken bone just below the back of her neck. It was one major miracle for her to survive the accident. Sheryl was also thankful that her unborn baby survived the whole ordeal ... she was at that time seven weeks pregnant.
In a span of five months, Sheryl underwent different surgical operations that threatened the life of her baby, but that baby simply hanged on. On November 1997, Sheryl was transferred to a private hospital in Pasig City in order to undergo a mandatory 7-month pre-mature baby delivery by Ceasarian operation. It was a successful delivery of a fragile baby boy who had to undergo an incubation period of 2-1/2 months. The baby was left under the care of the hospital, while Sheryl had to be brought back to the AFP Medical Center to resume her medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Sheryl stayed in the hospital for almost 2-1/2 years undergoing occupational and physical therapy, used a wheelchair for moving around, and received a specially designed walker, manufactured in Hongkong and paid for by the Office of the President.
Sometime in November 1997, I brought up Sheryl's case in The Hawaiian Webmaster's Mailing List ... a discussion group created and administered by Cav. Juny P. La Putt, a former PMA faculty member who is now based in Honolulu, Hawaii. By the 2nd quarter of 1998, I posted an update of Sheryl's case in the newly created ACADEMY CAVALIERS' FORUM (ACF) which was also created by Cav. La Putt. I was hoping to secure a support system from among the PMA Cavaliers who subscribed to this mailing list. Most of the subscribers were Cavaliers who were working or residing in USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa.
With the creation in 1999 of the PMA Freedom Forum (PFF) mailing list, a series of postings for Sheryl's support were also made. After 24 months of constant exchanges in the different mailing lists and when the AFP General Headquarters extended a financial grant to Sheryl for medical/rehabilitation and treatment abroad, the Northern California Cavaliers initiated preparations for Sheryl's projected arrival in San Jose, California. A medical facility was selected and coordinations were initiated.
Finally, Sheryl, her husband, Cav. Manny Cabasan (PMA '94), and Sheryl's younger sister, Gigi (who acted as Sheryl's private nurse), were able to leave for Hawaii on February 1, 2000. They arrived Honolulu also on the same day and were met at the Honolulu International Airport by Cav. Tex Balmaceda who was kind enough to provide accommodation for the three on their first day in Hawaii.
On the other hand, Cav. Juny La Putt also suggested a number of hospitals in Hawaii from which Sheryl can choose for an equally good quality treatment at a lesser medical expense and affordable cost of living. Cav. La Putt had also offered for free a room in his home in Ewa Beach for the use of Sheryl and her companions for the entire duration of their stay in Honolulu. A medical facility, The Rehabilitation Hospital of The Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, was subsequently selected. Cav. Tex Balmaceda (PMA '71) immediately requested for the transmittal of Sheryl's medical records to Honolulu and negotiated for her admission to the hospital.
The following day, Wednesday, 2 February, Sheryl saw her medical doctors and checked in as a patient and was assigned a room in the hospital where she was to stay for the next six weeks. Gigi stayed in the hospital with Sheryl to see to it that round-the-clock assistance could be given to her sister. Manny was temporarily billeted at Cav. Balmaceda's home since it was just a few minutes away from the hospital. The home of Cav. La Putt in Ewa Beach was much farther and would take about an hour by car thus making it inconvenient for Manny to commute daily.
A little bit over a month after their arrival, Manny and Sheryl were able to rent a two-bedroom apartment which was just a block away from the hospital. It was near enough that Manny and Sheryl could negotiate the distance by wheelchair in just about 5 to 10 minutes. Since Sheryl had improved significantly, she was subsequently granted out-patient status. She decided to stay in the apartment where she had more privacy and Gigi also had a chance to do some home-cooked meals. On scheduled days of the week Sheryl had to report to the hospital for the continuation of her rehabilitation and treatment.
Sheryl, Manny, and Gigi stayed in Honolulu for a total fo 3 months and 10 days. During the brief span of their stay, they were able to meet some new friends and also found time to see a number of sites and attractions in town. Aside from Cavs. La Putt and Balmaceda, Cav. Rogelio "Boyet" Santiano (PMA '84) was also around trying to make the stay of the Cabasans as enjoyable as possible. There were a number of home visits, parties, and other social functions the three visitors were able to attend.
Just a few days prior to her return home to the Philippines, Sheryl requested Cav. Balmaceda to post a message to the Academy Cavaliers' Forum. The following was what she wrote:
"I am about to complete my rehab program in Hawaii this end of April. I have improved a lot in terms of my level of independence in carrying out my basic activities of daily living. I would like to thank those, who, in one way of another, showed gestures of concern in order to make bearable my stay here in Hawaii."
It was Thursday, May 11, 2000 when Sheryl, Manny, and Gigi left Honolulu for their final return trip home to the Philippines. My wife and I are very happy that Cav. Sheryl has finally achieved her deep desire for wholesome rehabilitation and therapy and getting the needed confidence and capacity for independent family-based living. We'll continue to pray that the Philippine Army Headquarters will be enlightened to grant her approval for local schooling which is funded privately by the Academy Cavaliers' Forum.
In two years time, Sheryl will have amassed more knowledge and skills to carry on a productive work assignment in the military service where it is appropriate and fitting. We can see that God is again victorious with Cav. Sheryl and we praise His unwavering goodness for what Sheryl has tremendously achieved to this date.
Alexander GL Quirante, PMA '72/ June 2000/While on vacation in San Francisco, California/ aglquirante@hotmail.com
A Note From The Hawaiian WebMaster: During Sheryl's stay in Honolulu I
had the
opportunity to invite her out on some weekends to see a number of sites and attractions we
have in our island. Manny and Gigi also joined us in these enjoyable times we spent
together. I have collected a number of photographs which should show some of the places we
visited. Click on the small banner at the left to see some of these photographs.
