The classic line “I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band” holds true to loved ones who put up foundations to honor their dearly departed. This was a silver lining to 2020 which claimed the heroic lives of front liners all over the world.
I need not get far to see this reality. A close friend of mine, Chris Datijan, a former bandmate who used to write songs with me, put up one for his mother who died in the US after agreeing to postpone her supposed retirement last June. She worked as med tech handling blood samples from possible COVID-19 patients and got infected with the coronavirus. She died Oct. 24.
“Her loss was the ultimate dagger, but her sacrifice is what made me realize my purpose,” said Chris who himself had gone through a very difficult ordeal last year.
A songwriting partner and the lead singer in our college band who later pulled me into work for a 2001 album project called Anak Ng EDSA, Chris was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent chemotherapy during the ECQ summer of 2020. He recovered but eventually got sick with the damn virus. He fainted more than once due to lack of oxygen in the brain and spent two weeks in a hospital’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit). He made it through and had his birthday in September feeling like it was already his third life.
Chris created The Mama Be Forever Foundation for his mom Natividad in his desire to be a spokesperson for cancer struggles. Early recipients were the Bahay Aruga Cancer Shelter and the PGH Cancer Department. He related, “My mother was a generous soul and I am still alive. I understood the lessons those instances tried to convey. My purpose now is to inspire and help.”
In another story, which I should say, very personal, my three sisters, namely, Amelia, Beverly, and Karen set up the Dr. Eulogio B. Losorata Jr. EL Clan Scholarship Foundation to pay tribute to our brother who passed away last August. The Pampanga hospital where he took daily duties for years was like a second home to him.
Kuya Boygic, Doc Luigi to friends, was partly responsible for my immersion in music. He introduced me to classic rock and New Wave songs and at one point played me his raw compositions entitled Paglalasing and Nation of the Free.
The EL Clan foundation wishes to “inspire students and raise funds for deserving medical, nursing, and other healthcare students through scholarship grants.” As of this writing, the latest recipient is Justine Kim Cabanag, a nursing student from Our Lady of Fatima University.
“My brother lived with passion for work and kindness to others. Many people had good stories about him, especially those in the community he served. Just to say he’s my brother is an honor I’ll forever live with,” expressed my Ate Amelia who migrated to the US in the mid-90s.
Last November, she appeared on a lifestyle show (BFF L.A.) in California to promote the foundation.