Each person has his or her own natural pacemaker that generates electrical impulses for the heart to pump blood across our bodies. The pacemaker serves as a conductor, facilitating the beat of the heart that keeps us alive. We set the pace of our actions and the heart will adjust accordingly.
But that’s not always the case for everyone. For those with an irregular heartbeat, an artificial pacemaker is required to be implanted inside them. Given how majority of heart patients are senior citizens, it comes as a surprise to others whenever I share that I’m living with a device.
My pacemaker serves as support that immediately fixes any irregularities I have with my heart. For example, if my heart beats too slow or too fast, the pacemaker will always be there to adjust the pumping of my blood to the most appropriate speed my body can take.
Unfortunately for me, I had my surgery during the peak of my physical health and it abruptly became a hindrance. I reduced rough physical contact with anyone, avoided large crowds and kept a conscious track of my health. As a former athlete, that was the point where my short-lived career met an immediate end.
Luckily for the squads I represented, I wasn’t one of those players who really excelled in competition. Thus my exit from the teams I played for did not dampen their performances at all. I left and they moved on without me as I watched their success from the bleachers.
It’s been around three years of living with my device and I still wonder when I’ll be able to meet someone my age with a pacemaker. I’ve been on a look out for at least an event or situation, that can serve as an inspiration especially, to the handicapped.
The historic run of the Lady Eagles comes close as a consolation. We witnessed the rise of the term “heartstrong” coined by Coach Tai Bundit. It was the mantra of the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball team throughout their championship season.
I did not like the term at first, but I learned how to appreciate it as its popularity correlated with the team’s success. It is funny how, of all the people, someone with a language barrier was able to inspire the whole Ateneo community with an important message.
Heartstrong showed how powerful an underdog can be. It was a lesson of how vital resilience is and how far it will take us through adversity. It’s an immediate explanation for everything: From surviving calamities as a nation to finishing a paper on time, heartstrong will always be applicable.
But now, we can’t seem to escape the term. It’s so all over the place that it even replaced Lux in Domino on our lanyards. It’s currently in danger of losing its meaning as the hype is quickly spreading throughout social media.
We’ll have to wait and see if this phrase will turn out as just a fad or if it will overturn the school’s official motto in the future. But for now, it’s serving its purpose as an inspiration for those with the odds stacked against them.
To those living with disabilities or who share an unlikely situation as I have, believe in heartstrong. But just don’t make it a mere repetition of a sensationalized catchphrase. Make it your own; connect to it with your own meaning.
In my case, it’s the bionic-heartstrong; the belief in one’s capabilities for excellence and the pacemaker will take care of the rest.
