Mula sa Facebook page ni Chris Punsalan
MAYNILA - Gaya ng maraming millennial, matagal nang pinangarap ng 29-anyos Fil-Am musician na si Chris Punsalan na maging isang sikat na YouTuber.
Pero hindi niya inakalang ang content na magba-viral ay nasa loob lang pala ng kaniyang pamilya.
Taong 2015 nang napilitan ang pamilya ni Punsalan na mula Pampanga na gumawa ng isang mabigat na desisyon -- kung ipapadala ang kanilang lola sa isang home care o kumuha ng isang full-time caregiver.
"She took care of me and I would hate to see her go to home care, which is where I feel most grandparents go in America. They go to home care because nobody is able to take care of them. So I just stepped up and took on the responsibility and became her full-time caregiver," ani Punsalan.
Dahil matagal nang digital creator si Punsalan, idinagdag na sa kaniyang YouTube at TikTok videos ang araw-araw nilang gawain ng kaniyang lola.
"Many people saw it. All these news outlets started reaching out and I gained a lot of notoriety from that and I was shocked. But at the same time, it's kind of like you kind of know that if you're posting these videos online, you know that there's a chance of them being seen by, you know, a lot of people. So yeah, I just continued to do that," ani Punsalan.
Mahirap hindi lang sa pisikal kung 'di sa emosyon ang pagiging isang full-time caregiver sa mga matatanda. Pero sa kaniyang videos, naipapakita ni Punsalan na nagagawa ito sa paraang magaan, masaya at puno ng pagmamahal.
Aminado si Punsalan na nahihirapan siyang makita ang paghina ng kalusugan ng kaniyang 96 anyos na lola.
"The thing that has been difficult to see is grandma, forgetting where she is and who she's with even me like to be the only grandson that she remembers 100% of the time. To see her forget who I am sometimes and for me to have to remind her, that's probably one of the more difficult things because it's a constant reminder that life is very fragile, and it's very short," ani Punsalan.
Bagama't maraming hamon, mas pinagtutuunan ng pansin ni Punsalan ang magagandang aspeto ng pag-aalaga sa pamilya. Dito aniya masasabing sulit ang lahat ng pagod niya.
"It's such a blessing to be able to take care of a loved one. It's brought me and my grandmother closer than I could have ever imagined. Obviously, I was always close to my grandma growing up and you know, she took care of me and yeah, there's a natural connection that brings both caregiver and person to together," ani Punsalan.
"But I think being her full-time caregiver, it has brought me closer to her and I feel like I understand her better than I ever have before. And I'm able to hear stories that I never heard before and it's also really pushed me to speak up on bond with her... You know, I grew up speaking bilingual to my parents and family members, but not to the level that I do now."
Bukod pa sa mga sakripisyong ginagawa niya, ibinabahgi ni Punsalan ang kaniyang nabaong aral sa mga karanasan: na bigyang-halaga ang mga mahal sa buhay.
"Life is so fragile, and I know that it's such a cliche, tell your loved ones you love them because you don't know the next time that you're gonna get to see them or get to spend time with them," ani Punsalan.
Umaasa siya na ang milyong hits at views ay hindi lang maging bagong followers at likes kung 'di maging inspirasyon din para sa lahat na matutong magbigay ng buong pagmamahal at aruga sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay habang nariyan pa sila.
-- Ulat ni TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News
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