The sly wolf
published 21 January 2008
In the late 1980s, businessman-sportsman Ramon Cuervo III felt, for the first time, that the frenetic lifestyle he had been leading for years was catching up with him. He was then in his 30s, at the peak of his career, running the family’s appraisal business he had incorporated. He was doing respectably well.
He was no stranger to juggling many things and excelling in them. He had a natural craving for adventure. Born to “a bright, happy family” with six brothers and six sisters, Ramon was never in want of zest. In his early adult life, he was a varsity swimmer, football player, mountain climber and cave explorer. He started working for his father’s real estate company when he was yet a college student. He shuttled to and from his Letran and University of the East campuses and his Escolta office. At the age of 18, he was advocating urban renewal, selling condominium units and already earning his keep. With the help of his father, he and a former boss put up Cuervo Appraisers Inc., an offshoot of his economics masteral thesis at the Center for Research and Communication, now known as the University of Asia and the Pacific.
So he thought it was natural that he should feel exhausted. He fought it, of course, and went about his usual ways. The tiredness persisted, accompanied by occasional but debilitating pain here and there, insomnia, anxiety and some digestive discomforts. His doctors thought he had rheumatoid arthritis. Ramon took some medicines and went back to work. Aside from his firm, he had a few stints in media hosting segments of business shows. He also became active in the tourism sector.
The second attack happened in late 1999. This time, he had typhoid fever, kidney failure and other infections. He did hospital time and as soon as he was able, he worked—and partied some—again. But his colon burst and he had to undergo a five-hour operation. “I woke up with a colonoscopy bag, and I looked like a pear.” Still, he tried to recuperate as fast as he could. He felt he had been out too long. He went back to the business, now sorely missing his father who had passed away. He organized conferences and went into yet other ventures.
And then he was tired—yet again. This took a toll not only on his physical but on his emotional and spiritual well-being. He became irritable and moody. His sunny disposition would turn overcast for days. He felt he was driving friends away.
At the UST Hospital under Dr. Sandra Navarra, he underwent a series of tests. His blood samples were sent to the US. ANA tests revealed, finally, what Ramon had: Lupus.
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Lupus, or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, is a chronic auto-immune disease where the immune system gets confused and mistakenly attacks the body’s own cells and tissues.
Lupus can affect any part of the body, but it most often affects the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and the nervous system. Common initial complaints are fever, malaise, joint pains, myalgias and fatigue.
Wikipedia says the disease is a “great imitator” because its symptoms vary so widely it is often mistaken for other illnesses. Further, because the symptoms come and go unpredictably, diagnosis can be elusive. The cause of the disease remains unknown. Studies are ongoing to determine whether a genetic link may be responsible, or whether environmental factors like certain medications, extreme stress, exposure to sunlight, hormones and infection come into play.
It is also said that women, between the ages of 15 and 45, are 10 times more likely to have lupus than men. The butterfly is a common symbol for the illness because of the reddish malar rash that sometimes spreads across the nose and cheeks that resembles, well, a butterfly.
And yet, the wolf is perhaps the better metaphor for it. After all, lupus, a Latin word, really means “wolf.” The disease is a voracious predator, leaving behind scars and red blotches all over the patient’s body. And it is a sly one, too, because when you look at somebody who has lupus, chances are, you can’t really tell.
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That Friday during the interview, Ramon was in the mood to show off. Though he walked around in crutches—the disease was now attacking his hipbones—for a moment he left them leaning on the wall and strutted his way about the office. The meeting spilled over to a two-and-a-half-hour lunch, and nobody noticed. Ramon gushed about his present pursuits and his advocacy.
Nowadays, he’s no longer as active in the appraisal business. He continues to be its chairman, though, and occasionally talks to clients who have stayed with him through the years. Ramon’s current baby is RA Cuervo Inc., a venture with some of his friends. He is president and chief executive and they are looking at putting up an arcade, a neighborhood mall, in Alabang.
He is also active in the Opus Dei personal prelature. Faith has enabled Ramon to come to terms with his condition. In his constant interaction with fellow lupus patients, Ramon realizes that he has been blessed with the ability to transcend his physical limitations and refuse to be eaten away by his sickness. “When you are weak in something, you must compensate and be strong in something else” is his mantra.
He tries to console his friends, most of which are women, who complain that they have become too ugly, fat or cross (steroids, the main medicine, have a bloating effect as well as psychological side effects that range from paranoia to neurosis.) He advises patients’ families to be compassionate with them, because the pain and the tiredness, while not evident to an outsider, are constant, making them seem lazy or lethargic. When his friends ask: “Why me?” Ramon counters: “Why not you?”
Aside from the physical worries, he also has to contend with spending P30,000 to P50,000 a month in medication. “Now you know why I feel pressured to keep on working. ” He worries, though, that most of the other patients are in no position to sustain their medication, let alone keep jobs and earn consistently for the needs of their families. For long periods, patients may feel strong and invincible, and the following day they are down. It is in the nature of the disease to attack irregularly and unpredictably. For Ramon, this is one practical concern for lupus patients and their families.
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Presidential Proclamation 1435, signed last month by President Arroyo, declares the first week of February as Lupus Advocacy Week.
The first celebration will be held on Feb. 2 to 8. The grand launching program, to be called “Soaring Butterflies by the Bay,” will be held on Feb. 2 at the SM Mall of Asia.
Ramon has written a poem and it will be his entry to a contest among patients. He has always jokingly referred to his illness as his live-in partner; in the poem, he personifies his disease and calls it, almost affectionately, “Lady Lou.”
According to Ramon, pain is the great backdrop of his life. But he has learned to embrace it, celebrate it even, because as long as he can feel pain, he knows he is still alive. He knows there is so much to live for.
