Thursday, September 06, 2007

Dust In The Wind

Hazing in university fraternities seemed to have claimed another victim.

*

Patrick (not his real name) was rushed at this certain university hospital by his dormitory landlord after he was seen unconscious and choking on his own vomitus of blood. After he was stabilized in the ER and initial work-ups were made, a diagnosis of eroded esophagus probably secondary to ingestion of foreign object was made.

An esophago-gastroscopy was done and the following were extracted from his stomach: a partially undigested banana (with the peel on), a dozen of safety pins, bezoar (of rolls of undigested paper) and a pin with an insignia of this certain organization. He later revealed that they were forced to ingest the aforementioned objects as a part of their fraternity initiation rites at this certain state university. He was discharged in good condition.

*

Carl was rushed by his dad at the same hospital with a chief complaint of unresponsiveness (not being able to eat, perform activities of daily living, verbally respond when spoken to, etc.). The anamnesis revealed that Carl was an A+ student who, weeks before admission, joined this certain fraternity and was forced to perform the sexual act with another man as a part of their initiation rite. He was brought home in a shocked, unresponsive, and apparently traumatized state.

At the hospital, he was diagnosed to have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Catatonic Schizophrenia (Stupor type, think waxy flexibility). He was managed with nasogastric tubes, antipsychotic meds, and supportive care. He was still unresponsive even after he was discharged.

*

A concerned bystander rushed a John Doe to the same institution after he was seen unconscious on a sidewalk at this major thoroughfare. John Doe has a pulse but had erratic respirations. At the ER, several traumatic injuries were seen on his buttocks, posterior thigh, and lower back.

In no more than fifteen minutes, he coded and expired. Cause of death: cardiogenic shock secondary to massive internal bleeding (ruptured spleen, hemoperitoneum, punctured liver, kidney/renal hematoma), traumatic in origin. At the morgue, he was identified by a friend who claimed that his fraternity initiation rite was held on the night the body was found.

*

When will the lamb stop screaming? To Chris Anthony Mendez, Requiescat in Pace.

*

The cases presented are real medical cases actually handled by the author in this certain university hospital. The author has no intention to malign or cause undue harm to any third party which may be involved in the aforementioned cases.

49 comments:

mikel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mikel said...

what kind of sick people can do such acts? case 3 was brutal, but 1 and 2 are really sick.

ayan. kaya ayaw ko sa medical field e.

lapit na uaap pep comp. hehe.

engz said...

sheeet sila!

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why fraternities will do such terrible things. I mean, what for?

But ruff, u said u have a video of Paul Guesande? Can u share it to me pls. My email's displayed in my blog.

gorjess said...

naloka ako dun kay patrick grabe nmn ung mga natagpuan sa kanya. ung case no. 2 parang nao a han ako.

KC said...

homaygolly!

i can imagine what patrick looked like. but my heart goes out for carl. forever niyang dadalahin ang effect ng frat hazing. and for chris anthony mendez and john doe, may they rest in peace.

let's pray for all of them. =(

bananas said...

something in me was sparked by this post. its not anger, im sure. it's more of pain. i can feel their pain and its really disheatening.

[chocoley] said...

thusthis case havin' trend again, i hope it's not, those victims are really are poor and it's really unfair for them.

i just hope this issue would be the last one, the guys in this group do not know the real thing infraternity!

it wuz mistakenly known for "frat" besides it's all abt brotherhood and social group for good things and not for beating anyone just to exclaimed your supriority..

i really hate to those one.

ice said...

whew..

pins??!!
and the other one.. sigh..


you handled this cases...

right?

Maria said...

when we talk about frat, it is for brotherhood but knowing that these things happen, is this their purpose of developing friendship?

some victims do survive but sad for those who don't. and the only thing we could do is give them the justice they deserve.

aries said...

the purpose of fraternity itself presents a noble cause: brotherhood and camaraderie.

but when such groups are manipulated by individuals with sadistically twisted mind, the purpose is forfeited. tragedy becomes the ending.

* pero di nman kelangan ng frat para mka kita ng brotherhood.

**sana ako nlng si carl...ahihihi

Cory said...

OMG especially to carl's case. OA na ang frat initiation rites.

my sympathy goes to them and their families.

kalansaycollector said...

hindi ko magets ang point ng mga brutal na initiation rites...
kung ayaw tanggapin eh di wag tanggapin, kung gusto eh di gusto! bakit kailangan pang pahirapan? hindi sukatan ang pagiging tunay na lalaki na magawa ang lahat ng mga ganung bagay kung yun man ang point ng mga ganun.

sobrang brutal naman yung case no. 1. yung no. 2 case.. uhmmm heto namang si kuya nakipagkeme lang sa kapwa lalaki nawala na sa ulirat.. pero sa bagay kung maforce ba akong makipagsex sa girl eh baka mawala rin ako sa ulirat. hehe.

buti pa sa ust walang ganyan. hehe.

Anonymous said...

Bakit nman kasi mag sali2x pa dyan sa mga fraternities.. Eh pwede ka nman magkaroon ng friends without joining them kung gusto mo tlaga ng company... Yan ba tinatawag nilang brotherhood? I dont see any point of doing such acts just for the sake of initiation... Kailangan bang meron msaktan pra lng mka join? Yun ba ang meaning ng so-called Brotherhood?.... A good person and company wont do such acts like what happen to Carl.... So gross!! Hindi na cla naawa.. and I probably think the suspect/s enjoyed doing such things since grabeh yung nangyari sa biktima... May tama sa utak ang gumawa nun sa kanya..

I can relate to this since na experience din ng Ate ko ang ganitong treatment...

Fraternities are pretty useless!!
Damn!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@AMICUS: What is much sicker? The absence of any legal action on all 3 incidences, when in fact the 3 of them are all medico-legal cases. There are, in fact, several more cases worse than that, the 3 I’ve listed are those that lingered to my memories the most. Reality can, indeed, be stranger than fiction.
~I think I’ll come to that UAAP pep competition. Go USTEeee!!! =) EB tayo amicus. Hehe. =)

@ENGZ: The culprits/perpetrators weren’t caught either. =( that is the bigger blow.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@REYVILLE: Hazing had been a part of almost all fraternity initiation tradition no matter how we deny its existence. It’s something that would be really difficult to do away with. Abolishing fraternities is a double-edged sword, I wouldn’t want to even expound on that idea.
~I used to have the strip video I’ve downloaded from miong21, but it was corrupted. I could not open it. I’ll try to look for the file nonetheless.

@GORJESS: Case#1 was a huge incident; there was a huge commotion in the Endoscopy Unit when the said items are “unearthed.”
~As for #2, imagine the feeling of being trapped in a body who could not move/talk/react, but you know everything happening around you. It was like having the feeling of a regressed young child trapped in an adult lifeless body.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KC: Case#2 was really memorable for me KC, I’ve handled him personally when I was still a junior nursing student. He was the 1st patient whom I’ve fed using a nasogastric tube (with Haldol and Akineton, pulverized, kaya memorable).
~What is more painful? His dad being 100% beside him all the time. He was admitted in a private ward kasi (not in the psych unit), so it crushes my heart to see such a fine young man with such huge potential waste day in and day out, with his father who could do nothing to alleviate his son’s suffering.

@BANANAS: Seeing how their loved ones suffered was more unbearable. Parents weeping in the emergency room, and a dad crying silently beside a son who could not even respond, is such a painful sight to behold, even for a medical professional who must be used seeing such hospital incidences.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DAZEDBLU*: It was shocking because many fraternity-related medical cases are unreported. I have no known knowledge about fraternity groups penalized for any crime committed, nor any legal proceeding tackling about any violence-related issue.
~The real essence of fraternities seemingly had been clouded with the assumption that in order to belong to certain group/organization, a show of dedication/loyalty must be proven by being tested to violent, humiliating, or dehumanizing hazing/initiation rites (I’m not taking inclusively here). But that’s just me. I’m just hoping that this incident’ll be a lesson to all of us. Cause in these cases, nobody ends up with as the winner. Everybody loses in this indefatigable cycle of violence, death and pain.

@ALLEICARG: I personally handled Case#2 for 3 weeks in a medical-surgical ward (when I was still a nursing student), Case#1 post-operatively, and Case#3 in my ER shift.
~Case#2 was the most memorable case for me. Imagine seeing how a father struggles to stay strong beside a son who is suffering on the inside but could not interact to the outside world. The sight literally crushes my heart.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ICKA: Imposing dehumanizing, embarrassing and violent acts is actually punishable under the law. The problem is that most of the cases are unreported, and the victims tend to stay quiet for the fear of retribution. I hold nothing against fraternities, in fact, our university has some, and creating a sense of brotherhood among people and societies has a noble, deeper purpose. When the real sense of fraternity turned awry, then there is no purpose having them at all.

@ARIES: The debacle about fraternities: their purpose, meaning, sense, and rationale for existence will cyclically be a dispute for a very, very long time. People seem to have a lot of opinion as the pressing issue is currently sensational, but give it time (and have the matters unresolved), this issue will be again eventually forgotten, until it claims its next victim. If this cycle will remain unsettled, I bet more lives will be wasted and more future destroyed.
~I hope there'll still be a purpose for fraternities after all these tribulations. =(

Maria said...

i think these wrong doings and deprivation of human qualities will be stopped if only they'll give their maximum effort to attain justice.

presently, frat issues are too hot on news reports not unless another sizzling issues about politics will come, leaving these events suspended and unresolved as well as the victim's family in a hopeless situation.


ruff, sorry to include it in your comment section but i just want to ask since you already had your first license, did you wait for about a month in receiving your license right after the oath taking?

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@CORY: I was emotionally crushed not only about what happened to Carl, with all his potentials and future opportunities going to drain, but moreso to his dad, who, despite what happened to his son, remained steadfast and hopeful of his son’s condition, no matter how hopeless and bleak his prognosis was. As to where Carl is now, I could only guess.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KALANSAY COLLECTOR: My guess: PAIN is a potent motivator. Pag nakaya ng isang neophyte ang sakit, the rest of the org will believe that the person has the motivation, the drive, to take/accept everything in order for him to belong. Parang test cya na gagawin ng neophyte and lahat ng kanyang makakaya to prove his loyalty and bond with the group. But that’s just me. Baka may ibang rationale pa dyan, I’m very much available to listen.
~About Case#2, nabasa namin yan sa file niya, cyempre hindi namin ma-interview dahil wala ngang ulirat at baka i-hazing kami dun ng tatay pag nakialam pa ako. Pero korek ka dyan, baka nga mawalan din ako ng ulirat pag mangyari yang sinasabi mo. Hehehe.
~PS. Meron sa Law (?) and Med!!! Pero walang hazing part. Sa UST-Med para silang organization eh. Sosyalan ang drama! Nothing brutal I could ever think of.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DAIZUKE: Actually wala rin akong idea but I guess the reason is really “to belong.” Joining/being a member of a fraternity implies a sense of protection—esp. siguro sa state university na ito na kung saan naglipana ang mga fraternities. And I guess it had become a sort of a “status symbol” pag member ka ng isang powerful na frat. You’ll earn more friends, more linkages, more associations. But in order for you to belong, cyempre dapat may guarantee na you’re worth it—na kaya mong tanggapin lahat ng palo, hence, the hazing/initiation rites.
~Ilang buhay pa ba ang kailangang ibuwis para matapos na ang marahas na tradisyong ito? Mayroon bang silbi and pagkakapatiran kung buhay naman ang kapalit upang ika’y mapabilang? But that’s just me. (Wag niyo po akong abangan.)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ICKA: It’s okay icka! I really hate how I sound (I’m supposed to be fair-minded and reasonable about this matter but my emotion’s getting in the way). This frat thing, indeed, has become really complicated. How can we expect fair and just treatment of hazing-related cases when some member of the investigating committees and lawgiving bodies are fraternity alumni themselves. I still believe in justice though, and I hope it’ll be served in a timely and reasonable manner.

I might sound apathetic in this sense but I think this Mendez hazing (?) case will not progress/succeed. It’s just a hunch, and I hope I am wrong this time. =(


Feel free to ask here icka. Timeline natin: oath taking is purely for formality, October 2. Then we’ll have our registration starting Oct. 17 where we have to pay (blah blah) and personally sign the registry of professionals. After the registration, we have to wait for another month (usually 1 month MINUMUM) before we can claim our licenses. More or less, we can be practicing nurses by late November (if your surname is from A-J siguro) or December, worse, January, if the surname’s from K-Z. =) Ang tagal pa no?

Misterhubs said...

I didn't join any fraternity in law school despite the pressure because I didn't see the point. I knew I could get by law school and even excel without relying on whatever these fraternities had to offer. And I did. Plus, my circle of friends was not limited to my so-called brods only. I didn't inherit enemies and I didn't have to join useless fund-raising activities.

KC said...

ah kaya pala memorable.

aww, carl's case is really heartbreaking. ang pangit naman nung situation ng dad niya. he's there to help but it seems that wala siyang magawa for his son. hay.

bakit naman yung ibang fraternities walang initiation rites na masyadong physical? why can't all not resort to violence? grabe. sana matapos na ang mga bad things na yan...

Maria said...

i just hope and pray that chris' case will be different from others. if not, their poor souls will remain in agony shouting for equity.

...some notes are under my comment page.

on license: hay.. burden talaga ito.i've been finding seminars for IVT and license is prerequisite for training.hay... sakit sa ulo. roar!

kalansaycollector said...

yeah aware nga akey na meron sa med at law... buti't mga pasweet fraternity lang sila. hehe.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@MISTERHUBS: I didn’t see the point either for joining any fraternity for that matter. I likewise don’t patronize the fact that you couldn’t survive law school/college if you do not belong to a specific group/fraternity. I think that fraternities are pathetic excuse for students feigning camaraderie through violence and mortification. A relationship based on mutual trust and concern is far, far better than any superficial kind of brotherhood based on violence, deceit and dehumanization.
~Sometimes I think that it’s partly, not exclusively, the neophyte’s fault. What kind of person (in his sane mind) would join such organization and would allow themselves be mortified and hurt (or even killed) in the process?

Anonymous said...

these people doesn't have fear in God. They just believe in what they believe in. The worst part's that, they're enrolled in a prestigious university and yet they do uncertain things it's as if they're uneducated. shame on them.

Nakakainis cla. As in.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KC: That’s so true KC. That case was really memorable for me and my RLEmates. Every time I try to think about him, I could only hope that he has return to his normal, healthy self. And in my heart, I’m sincerely praying that everything will finally be alright. 3 taon na rin ang nagdaan, sana maayos na ang kanyang kalagayan.
~Actually meron namang mga frat na walang hazing rites eh. I still couldn’t get these sick people’s rationale for employing violence to gain brotherhood/alliance. Kailangan bang para mapa-bilang ay mayroong sakit na kapalit? One could only ask.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ICKA: I’m just hoping that justice will ultimately be served in the end. In this kind of society where basic human right violations are rampant, the possibility of true justice is really as faint as a lone star shining in the darkest night sky.
~There are IV trainings in PNA. You can inquire at their main office at Benitez. I’m not sure as to whether you can take the course even if you’re not licensed. Note to self: apply for ANSAP. I’m long long overdue for my IV Therapy Card. =( You can try to attend the ECG seminar at PGH-Section of Cardiology, very helpful cya in case you want a career in the ICU/Telemetry Unit.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KALANSAY: Correct. Pa-tweetums lang ever. =) Ang nakaka-chorva lang sa UST-Med Frats eh yung pagbebenta nila ng kung anu-ano, from concert tickets, used medicine books, chocolates and flowers pag valentine’s day, etc. etc. Pero buti naman walang violence na nagaganap. Sa liit ba naman ng building namin eh san pa sila magha-hazing dun? Sa CR? Hehehe. =)

chase / chubz said...

i have nothing against fraternities. But the things some of them do is downright inhumane.
Hindi sila naaawa sa mga tao.

and i don't get why some have to join them when reputation of the fraternities is not so good.
e.i. the war between. 2 frats here in cebu claimed hundreds of casualties to date.

hay, ewan ko sa kanila. nagagalit si mama mary nyan..

Anonymous said...

ang sakit isipin nun. =(

pero i know of some fraternities na walang violence when it comes to their initiation rites. sana yung mga violent types ng initiation ay iwasan. wala naman kasing nagagawang mabuti yun eh.
~ sa mga ganoong kalaseng tao, tama lang na batuhin sila ng hollow block...sans the tinapay.

singit lang ito: i'm also looking for IVT training. wala pang announcements ng IVT sa PNA. i'll have to check pa sa PGH kung meron...

Kiks said...

Fascism is the social base of this political system. The army has that mercenary tradition which has literally flowed into the veins of many in the brotherhood.

Di ba sila naman talaga ang unang brotherhood - o fraternity? Which of course can be tied to patriarchy and all....

This is unjust violence. Nagagalit ako sa karahasang walang dahilan.

Yes, Ruff, there is such a thing. If you don't believe it.

Kiks said...

I like your posts. They're quite a bunch. It makes people think.

Keep up.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ATEJACKIE: I agree atejackie. The fact that they are enrolled in a prestigious university should serve as a hint that several people look up to them as examples and role models. I know and I respect their freedom of self-expression and autonomous self-association, but they should know that that right is not absolute. At times I could just think that too much liberty is sometimes a dangerous thing.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@CHASE: Ditto chase. I walk in and out of our college building surrounded by Med frats and I hold nothing against them (as if they’ll do something injurious to me). If they could just do away with violent dehumanizing initiation/hazing rights, then this world will become a very happy, peaceful place.

And I just couldn’t get the logic of associating with people who consider pain and violence as a test of loyalty. Sadistic/masochistic fetish ba ito? Magagalit talaga si Mama Mary at Papa Jesus nyan!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KC: Gone were the days when fraternities used to serve their real purpose. Ngayon, not only they have lost their reason for existence, they have been clouded by a twisted aim for superiority and a sick sense of loyalty. Sana makarma sila sa mga ginagawa nila.

IVT is 50% didactic (exam) + 50% practical (demo plus actual insertion). As far as I know, active license is required eh. My 2-cents: memorize mo na yung manual (kung pwede word by word) para madali kang makapasa pag actual demo na. =) Hehehe. And try to get a partner with healthy, visible veins, para madali maka-insert.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KIKS: The real predicament lies, indeed, from deciphering which between the individual self and the welfare of the group/organization is of prime importance in those kinds of societies. If we still patronize the belief that the individual’s welfare is mere subordinated to the ends of the organization, then I presume that we’re really not learning from the lessons we’ve learned from the past tragedies that our forefathers have to endure. And this tradition of violence-imposed-superiority will likewise endure for generations to come.

~As Pinoys, we’ve been brought up to a tradition where corporeal punishment is conventional and well-accepted. Consequently, we tend to endure pain inasmuch as we feel we deserve to be inflicted by it. Naging tradisyon na tuloy ang pag-iisip natin na kailangang masaktan ang sarili para makamit ang isang mithiin. What kind of people would endure such punishment? And what kind of people would inflict that upon others? Haaay, kailan nga kaya matitigil ang ganitong rehimen?

~Thanks for the comments kiks ha! Pagaling ka rin kiks. And thanks for the compliments too. I hate making socially relevant posts pa naman, parang ayaw ko nang makisawsaw sa usaping sosyal pero parang sobra na itech eh. Sobra na. =(

Anonymous said...

couldn't agree more with daizuke. why do students join fraternities and sororities with these bizarre initiation rites?

i had written a post before about this malpractices in fraternities. it is a horrible thought to subject one's self to this brutal acts. para din daw kasi nakaka-addict yang mga ganyang practices. repeatedly done, wala nang effect dun sa mga gumagawa, fun and part of the game, sabi nga. i just dont get it.

Anonymous said...

erratum: 'these malpractices' (hirap talaga kulang sa tulog he he)

Anonymous said...

Nurse Ruffy, puros kaawa-awa naman yung mga kinuwento mo... and yeah, it still goes on and more lambs to sacrifice! (lord, pls forgive them even if they know what they were doing and may their victims, find rest in your abode!)

Hmmnnn... bakit nalang lahat ng frat na yan eh "oblation run" na lang gawin! lol! hehehe

When we were in UP dil, we just founded our own Org, kapitas! para lang we can belong to our own philosphy group :)

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