Living the dream, and sharing it

There is no easy life, but some have it harder than others. Some people overcome adversity and survive; others overcome adversity and soar.

 Among those who have conquered the many hurdles on his track is a once-poor boy from Vigan who attained his childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

Now living his dream, Dr. Romeo Ariniego of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute (DLSHSI) in Dasmariñas, Cavite has chosen to give virtually all he has so that others may live their dreams, too.

A childhood dream

The young Romy was in the fifth grade and living in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, when he witnessed how his parents and relatives were given comfort by a local doctor during an uncle’s illness. It was this “comfort” that awed Romy, who realized how another person could be a balm to others through his work. It was then that Romy aspired to be a doctor himself.

However, attending medical school wasn’t something that Romy’s family could easily afford. It was practically impossible, given his parents’ meager income. Coming from a family of eight children, he even had to stop schooling at one time as his parents couldn’t afford to send him to high school.

But as fate would have it, Romy was fortunate enough to have met a classmate who was the son of an American missionary assigned in Vigan. They then invited Romy to work as part of their household staff and helped him finish his secondary studies.

Determined to make his childhood dream a reality, Romy worked hard and studied well to make the most of the opportunities that came his way, not letting his family’s financial situation dictate the course of his life.

Self-supporting student

But before getting into medical school, Romy had to be more “practical” and took a business course instead at the University of the East. He went to night classes as he worked in a cigarette factory during the day. Still, his dream of becoming a doctor never left him.

And as fate would have it, Romy chanced upon an advertisement of Silliman University for a work-and-study program. Making the most of the opportunity presented to him, Romy promptly resigned from his day job but to his surprise, his boss and co-workers gave him a touching “going away present.” They all pitched in for his transportation to Dumaguete and a semester’s tuition. This inspired him to work harder.

During his stay in Silliman, Romy held various jobs to support himself and absolutely had no qualms about working as a dorm assistant, messenger, even as a gardener. He finished his pre-med course in just three years.

On his last year, Romy was once again fortunate enough to receive a grant for his medical education through the assistance of a Silliman American Mission faculty member.

Romy was determined that these blessings wouldn’t go to waste. He was accepted at the prestigious University of the Philippines’ College of Medicine, and later continued his residency training and fellowship at the Philippine General Hospital. His appointment as Chief Resident was a recognition of his hard work and excellence as a physician. He then underwent further training in cardiology in Sweden, and in Geriatric Cardiology in Australia.

Giving back

Not one to forget his humble beginnings, Romy has made conscious efforts to “give back.”

Aside from his medical practice, Romy, also known as “Dr. RA,” also dutifully served in the academe, working as a teacher, professor, and even administrator at the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute for 27 years.

The well-loved Dr. RA has touched the lives of many — co-workers, students and many young Lasallian scholars. He has also helped the children of his own staff in pursuit of a medical degree.

For years, his home and his extensive medicine library were open to scholars. His clinic always reportedly has the longest queue of patients of all ages at the De La Salle University Medical Center.

Dr. RA was instrumental in the construction of the DLSHSI library. “I know how important a library is especially for poor students. Throughout my years of studying, I survived because of the kind librarians who were lenient when it came to my borrowing of books because they knew I didn’t have the money to buy my own copies,” said Dr. RA.

De La Salle Health Sciences Institute now has the Romeo P. Ariniego, M.D. Library, which houses major resources from around the world, and serves as a converging point for students, faculty and researchers who all share Dr. RA’s love for learning. 

La Salle’s Brother Gus Boquer once shared Dr. RA’s inspiring story, which Dr. Willie Ong wrote about in his column in The STAR.

“I believe doctors are doing God’s work. The way they help the sick and put a smile on a poor patient never fails to amaze me. We have a doctor here in De La Salle, Dr. Romeo P. Ariniego, who has pledged to give his life’s earnings to De La Salle. He has already given P10 million for a new library. And he has already donated his house and lot to De La Salle Institute, which will take effect after he passes away. How can you not be amazed by doctors like this?”  

 The poor boy from Vigan had a dream and attained it. And now his dream is to be able to let others live their dreams, too.

(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com.)