JERRY OLEA
And The Story Begins ang huling major concert ni Lani Misalucha sa Pilipinas, kung saan kasama niya sina Basil Valdez at Maestro Ryan Cayabyab.
Ginanap ito noong Pebrero 28 at 29, 2020 sa Newport Performing Arts Theater sa Pasay City.
“Two weeks after that, nag-pandemic na tayo,” sambit ng Asia’s Nightingale sa mediacon ng 40th anniversary concert niyang Still Lani noong Mayo 7, 2025, Miyerkules, sa Pandan Asian Cafe, Sct. Limbaga St., Quezon City.
Ang Still Lani ay nakatakdang ganapin sa Agosto 21 sa The Theatre at Solaire.
Ang musical director dito ay ang anak ni Maestro Ryan na si Toma Cayabyab.
Dagdag ni Lani: “Nag-lockdown na. And that was the last concert that I did. With a co-artist.”
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BATTLE WITH BACTERIAL MENINGITIS
Bakit limang taon ang lumipas bago siya nagkaroon ng kasunod na major concert sa bansa?
“Kasi nga, what happened noong 2020, noong nagkasakit kaming mag-husband,” pagbabalik-tanaw ni Lani.
“Nagkaroon kami ng bacterial meningitis noong October 2020…
“Ang effect nung bacterial meningitis na yun was deafness, vestibular disorder. And vision mo, gumagalaw consistently, and meron din ang tinnitus.
“So, for a while, hindi ko talaga nakayanang kumanta.”
Ang miser ni Lani ay si Noli Misalucha.
Apektado ang kanyang tenga at mga mata?
“You are consistently nahihilo, as in dizzy. Like dizzy and gumagalaw yung vision. As in hanggang ngayon, ganun pa rin ang condition namin,” pagsisiwalat ni Lani.
“And then we’re partially deaf. Sa right ear. So, it was really a difficult time for me.
“Because siyempre naman, singer ako, and mahirap yung pandinig. I went through that phase wherein... should I say nagkaroon ng depression?
“I don’t know if I’m going to admit it. I don’t know if it was actually depression nga yung naramdaman ko.
“Pero ano, e, mahirap i-describe. Na parang ayaw mo nang kumilos. Number one, ayaw mong kumilos physically.
“At ayaw mo nang kumilos because the minute na gumalaw ka, e, nakakahilo talaga. Sa totoo lang.
“Number two, you don’t want to socialize. You don’t wanna talk to people because yung hearing namin nun was parang, feeling ko, should I use the word painful?
“Painful in a way because what we only hear was high frequency. High frequency. Ang mga taong nadidinig namin na nagsasalita… e, lahat matinis, matalas, mataas.
“Yoon ang pandinig naming mag-asawa. So, imagine-in nyo, you’re talking to a person with low base C voice, pero ganun pa rin ang pandinig mo sa kanya.
“Parang Donald Duck… ganun yung pandinig namin nung mga first six months, I guess.”
GORGY RULA
Kailan nag-improve iyong pandinig nilang mag-asawa?
Napabuntong-hininga si Lani, “I think it did, at least yung naririnig namin yung mga salita ng tao, normal na.
“Nare-recognize na namin kung boses ni ganito yan. So, yung part na yon, I think, we got better.
“But the hearing, parang hindi. Yung deafness, parang hindi. Until now, it’s pretty much the same. Yung right ear.
“Yung sa husband ko, almost 90 percent hindi na nakakarinig yung right ear niya. Ako naman, almost ganun din, hindi na ito nakakarinig.
“It only absorbs very loud sound but it’s distorted.”
Paano naapektuhan ang kanyang pagkanta?
“It did affect my singing! So, nangyari yun noong 2020, and then 2021 talagang struggle. Struggle talaga,” pagtatapat ni Lani.
“Parang I was like a child again trying to train myself and teach again myself to sing in this current situation. In this current kalagayan.”
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HOW THEY ACQUIRED BACTERIAL MENINGITIS
Paano sila nagka-bacterial meningitis? Saan nila nakuha iyon?
“Alam mo, OK. Mahirap nating i-pinpoint talaga kung exactly how it happened,” pagmamatuwid ni Lani.
“OK, number one, na-ingest. Yun ang sinasabi nung mga doctors. Na-ingest naming mag-asawa.
“So noong nangyari yun, kasi ang unang dinala ko sa hospital, actually pinasundo ko sa ambulansya yung asawa ko.
“Kasi non-responsive na siya, e. Hindi na talaga siya kumikibo. As in I thought he was just sleeping, yun pala, coma na siya.
“So I had an ambulance pick him up from the condominium to go to St. Luke’s sa BGC.
“So from there, tawag na nang tawag yung mga doktor sa akin. Kasi, naiwan pa ako sa condo. ‘Ano ba ang nangyari? Si Noli, hindi gumigising,’ ganyan-ganyan.
“‘Saan ba kayo nanggaling? Nagpunta ba kayo ng farm? Humawak ba kayo ng farm animals? Do you have a pet in the house?’
“Sabi ko, ‘Bakit? Ano ba ito? Ano ba ang nangyayari?’ So, nung nandun na rin ako sa ospital, they took of course kung anu-anong mga test.
“They even did a lumbar tap, na nakakatakot yun. Nakakatakot, honestly.”
Nang i-Google namin, lumabas na overview sa lumbar tap — “A lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, is a medical procedure where a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnostic testing or to measure CSF pressure. The procedure is commonly used to diagnose conditions affecting the central nervous system, such as meningitis, encephalitis, and bleeding in the brain.”
Pagpapatuloy ni Lani: “So from the lumbar tap, nakita na nila exactly kung ano yung klaseng bacteria, which is Streptococcus suis. Suis, meaning swine. So the bacteria came from baboy, OK.
“Now, kaming mag-asawa, hindi kami kumakain ng baboy, OK. The only thing that we recall that week, Tuesday, we went to a restaurant.
“Kasi nung time na yon, kasi Oktubre na, unti-unti nang nagbubukas ang restaurant nun, di ba? And then half capacity lang, o 50 percent lang ang capacity ng restaurant.
“So, we went to this particular restaurant, hindi ko na sasabihin kung saan. We were there, kaming dalawa, and I believe there was another table. Two ladies, I think.
“So that was a Tuesday. Bumalik na kami ng condo after that. And then siyempre Wednesday, may kinain pa rin kami. And then, wala na.
“Thursday, wala na, yun na. Inatake na kami ng high fever, body pains, severe headache. Severe headache.
“And then to make it short, sabi nga daw nila, naka-ingest kami ng bad meat. So, yun na yung nag-ravel sa buong katawan namin, especially of course sa brain…
“Yun ang nag-destroy sa amin, yung particular na bacteria na yon. Na nakain namin.
“Sinabi ng infectious disease doctor na zoonotic ang particular na bacteria na yon.
“So, puwede siyang galing sa baboy, nag-transfer sa another kind of meat, or puwedeng contamination.
“They probably used kitchen utensils and then put it down sa anong tawag mo dun… na nag-touch sa gulay, and then na-transfer yung bacteria sa gulay.
“Yung mga ganun. Anything can happen. And that’s the only thing that they can actually explain to us.
“So, yun na yung istorya.”
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NOEL FERRER
Gaano katagal ang healing process nilang mag-asawa mula sa bacterial meningitis?
“Since na-pinpoint na nila yung bacteria na yon, kasi in the beginning, yung husband kong nauna, binigyan lang siya ng parang broad spectrum na kind of antibiotic,” tugon ni Lani.
“Pero nung naano na nila, nakuha na nila, nadiskubre na nila kung ano yung particular bacteria, alam mo kung ano ang ginamit lang nila?
“Penicillin… penicillin, and yun yung parang pinakanag-destroy dun sa bacteria.
“Pero healing, of course wala na yung meningitis. Of course na-heal na kami noon.
“Pero of course, eto na nga, sinabihan kami na meron talaga siyang after-effect. Or tinatawag na damage.
“Sinabi sa amin na yung hearing, when it comes to hearing, sabi nila, ‘We should expect some improvement within the three months. Sana makakita tayo ng improvement within the three months from the time na nag-onset ang meningitis. Kapag wala tayong nakitang improvement within…’
“Let’s say, alam mo yun, yung nag-iba nang konti, alam mo yon na nakakaano na siya, nakakarinig nang konti. So, medyo nabawasan yung hilo.
“Within three months. Well and good. ‘Pero pag wala tayong nakitang difference or improvement or healing within that three months, the damage is permanent.’
“So, limang taon na po ang nakakaraan. At yun na nga, nandito pa rin siya. So, mahirap siya, but what can we do, di ba?
“Magreklamo ka ba? Kanino ka magrereklamo, hindi ba? Eto na yun. Eto na yung binigay ng… ng ano, ng tadhana, e.
“Ayokong sabihin na binigay ito ng Panginoong Diyos. Hindi! Nangyari ito, e.
“Hindi naman sa pagiging careless naming mag-asawa. I do not know. Ayokong sabihin na binigay ito ng Panginoong Diyos. Hindi!
“Trial ito, e. Kasama ito sa buhay, di ba? So it’s just a matter of accepting it. Yun lang talaga siguro ang key doon.
“Acceptance. Kasi kung hindi mo ia-accept, wala, you’re just going to feel really hurtful. Magiging despiteful ka sa buhay.
“Eto na yun, e, di gawan ng paraan. At least buhay. Yun yon! Yun yon. At least buhay! Nakaka-function pa.
“Nakakalakad pa kahit papaano, kahit natutumba-tumba, oo. Na medyo natutumba-tumba kami.
“Basta importante, maganda.”
Basta, we wish Lani all the best!!! Mahal natin iyan!!!
Read: Lani Misalucha back to performing live; still struggling with singing due to hearing loss