Rudy: I saw dead people

During the five days he was at the ICU of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, Metro Manila, following a 10-hour complicated surgery, Rudy Fernandez had an eerie experience in which, he recalled, he saw dead people.

"It was nightmarish," Rudy told Funfare in a one-on-one at his White Plains, Quezon City, home, the first ever interview he and wife Lorna Tolentino have granted since his release from the hospital two weeks ago after a month-long confinement. "Bangungot talaga. It happened every night. I saw my late father (director Dr. Gregorio Fernandez), Jay Ilagan, Robert Talabis (a character actor) and a few other relatives and friends whose identities I don’t remember now. Kinukuha ako ng mga patay, so I thought my time was up. Isinasama ako kung saan-saan. They were telling me, ‘O, don’t worry, your hospital bills have been settled’. Jay was quiet; he just stood there. But I didn’t want to go with them."

Rudy kept it to himself and told Lorna about it several days later when he was transferred to a private room.

"I didn’t want to scare her," said Rudy, "I didn’t want her to think that I was dying."

At the ICU, Rudy was attached to many tubes that rendered him immobile.

"It was hard," said Rudy. "I was telling God to take me, kunin na Niya ako. I was ready for anything. I kept saying, ‘Lord, Thy will be done’."

Rudy underwent the surgery in March after he experienced recurring fever (usually in the afternoon) for two months. After a series of blood tests, an ultrasound and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the doctors saw stones in his ambulary duct. They said they could be removed by a certain instrument. But the instrument couldn’t get through, so they decided to open Rudy up. They advised Rudy there and then to undergo immediate surgery.

"I realized how serious my condition was when my friends (Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Bong Revilla, Philip Salvador, etc.) visited me on the eve of my surgery," said Rudy. "They all looked sad and worried. They were trying to humor me but I could see in their eyes that something was terribly wrong with me. They had talked to my doctors but my friends were not telling me what it was. Jinggoy was telling me to seek a second opinion in the States but I said, what for? Then, they went outside of my room and stayed talking among themselves at the corridor. So I went out, pulling the dextrose-bottle stand with me, and joined them. Sabi ko, ‘Bakit parang ang lulungkot n’yo?’"

Earlier that same day, Lorna was informed by the doctors of Rudy’s condition.

"It was a Saturday," recalled Lorna, "and I asked the doctors, ‘Can I go to (GMA 7) for my show (Startalk which she co-hosts with Lolit Solis, Butch Francisco and Joey de Leon)?’ The doctors told me, ‘You cannot.’ That’s how I realized how bad Rudy’s condition was. They found some cysts, so the doctors had to perform a whipple surgery on him. They also removed his gall bladder, a good portion of which was already cut three years ago."

Rudy rolled out going to the States for the treatment.

"I was telling myself, ‘What if I go to the States and die there?’ Kawawa naman si Lorna; she’d be all alone crying and texting family and friends back home, ‘Rudy has passed away.’ Had that happened, I would have preferred that it happen here. At least, our relatives and friends are here and Lorna wouldn’t be alone. As I’ve said, I wasn’t afraid at all. I trusted the Lord. I put myself in His care. I was telling Him, ‘If you have to take me, take me at once para hindi na ako mahirapan’. When I was wheeled into the operating room, I was prepared for everything – you know, baka hindi na ako magising, who knows?"

"At the ICU," added Lorna, "he really had a hard time. He couldn’t move; sometimes, he had difficulty breathing."

During Rudy’s confinement, Lorna lived practically in the hospital, acting as his nurse and leaving his side only when she had to report to GMA for the Startalk telecast. Relatives and friends came and went, turning the ICU initially and then his private room into a virtual starland. Besides Rudy’s barkada, other stars came, too, including Gretchen Barretto and her beloved Tonyboy Cojuangco who brought food every day.

"I was moved by the concern and prayers of my friends and even people that I didn’t know," said Rudy. "Erap (President Joseph Estrada) texted me every day, asking about my condition."

Among Rudy and Lorna’s children (Mark Anthony, Ralph and Renz), it was Mark who was most affected.

"What made us strong and helped us survive those trying times was prayers, our own and those of our friends and relatives," said Lorna.

"Like Rudy, I constantly talked to God. I knew that He’s a merciful God and He would listen to our prayers."

Rudy weighed 175 lbs. before the surgery after which his weight was down to 161. On tube-feeding for a while, Rudy is now on a solid diet but still wearing a tube attached to a small plastic bottle which he keeps in his pocket (to drain out a discharge; to be removed in a week’s time), Rudy continues to regain strength and weight (now 167 lbs.). He eats eight times a day but in small amounts.

While recuperating at home, he occupies his time by taking mild walks around and watering the garden. He also watches a lot of DVDs (mostly those of Elvis Presley’s concerts given to him by son Mark Anthony. Rudy had to give up a role (as a senior boxer) in the Manny Pacquiao movie now being filmed by Star Cinema (with Jericho Rosales in the title role) and he was replaced by Jay Manalo.

Anytime now, Rudy and Lorna plan to spend a holiday away from Manila, maybe in Tagaytay. In July, they plan to take a trip abroad for a longer vacation and maybe to undergo further treatment.

Lorna keeps close to Rudy.

"Now I realized how much she loves me," said Rudy jokingly. "Ngayon ko napatunayan na mahal na mahal niya talaga ako. I also realized how much my friends love me. And I thank everybody who has prayed and who continues to pray for my recovery."

(Note: For more on Rudy and Lorna, tune in to Showbiz Stripped tonight on GMA, starting at 11:30 after Hokus-Pokus. Two other couples are featured, Sen. Bong Revilla and wife Lani Mercado, and Christopher de Leon and wife Sandy Andolong.)

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